Solid film

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2019)

This is an adult film, probably most suited for those who have been through divorce. I have not had that pleasure and feel that I may have appreciated this story moreso if I had experienced divorce.
The story and the performances delivered are very credible. Driver (as Charlie) arguably has the best scene in the film. However, I would argue that Laura Dern has one of the most amazing performances I've seen this year from a female actress. Her character was one of the best villains I have ever seen. She is a hollow, self-seeking, manipulative and very destructive character who pretends she is virtuous and changes between destructive and sugar coated seamlessly. Otherwise, Dern's portrayal was meant to be virtuous (in which case it's the biggest failure I've seen in many years). I felt shivers when I watched her performance, similar to how I felt watching Phoenix in Joker.
For those who will point out Charlie's second lawyer, Jay Marotta (Ray Liotta), his character was nowhere near as well played as Dern. He was destructive, but, he never pretended to be sincere or virtuous.
Ultimately, if there's a message I walked away from after watching this movie, it's about effective communication and how to unnecessarily complicate your life with lawyers. There was also an excellent lesson about how two people can be good for each other (especially when complimenting each other's weaknesses) and how Nicole (as a passive aggressive) struggled to take responsibility for her own life, while Charlie (as a perfectionist who was clueless about life outside of work) was made a better man because of Nicole.
All in all, I really enjoyed this movie. Dern was the best adult female villain i've seen in cinema in a long, long time. Superb (unless she was meant to be a good person, in which case, this movie deserves a 4/10). In Hollywood today, it's rare to see such a well-crafted female character. Kudos to Baumbach for his courage and foresight to do so.