Filmmaker Noah Baumbach's frank and smart observations of divorce; Driver, Johansson & Dern at the top of their games

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2020)

MARRIAGE STORY (2019) ***1/2 Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Azhy Robertson, Julie Hagerty, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Wallace Shawn. Poignant and sharply realized dramedy about a young couple going through the pains of divorce with clear-eyed intensity and powerful insight to the way things collapse while attempting to remain civil and in love. Filmmaker Noah Baumbach's frank and smart observations of conversation, actions and complications are evenly balanced largely thanks to his excellent cast particularly the leads Driver and Johansson as a seemingly perfect couple dissolving with piercing moments and memorable dialogue. Dern is equally at the top of her game as an attorney whose viewpoints are en pointe and painfully acute.