Why do we love those who we eventually grow to hate?

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2020)

I used to go to parties that my parent's friends would throw when I was younger, and many happy memories were had when we would go in the summer time. Unfortunately though, all good things must come to an end as the people who would host the parties eventually got a divorce and thus the parties ended, and despite the fact that they weren't my parents, I felt like as if my parents were getting a divorce. I always felt empathy for my friends that I grew up with whose parents got divorced rather it be for one reason or another. I fortunately never had to suffer through a divorce, as my parents have been happily married for almost 30 years now with no intention of seperating, so I didn't know how I would react to this film.
Marriage Story is a film that I would call an 'actor-driven movie.' Much like films such as Good Will Hunting, 12 Angry Men, or A Few Good Men, Marriage Story is a film that's reliant on the actors and their performances. Not many movies like Marriage Story are made anymore, where actors are just given room to explore what they can do and I think that Marriage Story joins the films that I mention above as one of the best actor-driven movies that I've ever seen. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannson aren't even acting in this film, which might be the highest praise I could give. I felt the blur of emotions that Driver and Johannson convey throughout this movie and I felt like these were real people, not actors playing a role. It's simply some of the best acting I've ever seen from Driver and Johannson, the rest of the cast are also strong, with a motherly like performance coming from Laura Dern or a grandfatherly performance coming from ol' Hawkeye Pierce himself, Alan Alda. Another thing that I loved about this film is how it doesn't allow you to take sides, the film showcases both of the main character's virtues, as well as their flaws and you can feel the frustration that they feel towards each other, but also the love that they still have for each other, despite everything that's happened. If there's a motif for this film, it would be that it makes you feel...a lot.
There's no such thing as the perfect film of course, but much to my surprise I only had two problems with this movie, one being the performance of Ray Liotta, who becomes a bit grating as the abrasive lawyer though, to the film's credit, I think that was the point, and a scene where Driver's character sings, and while Adam Driver surprisingly has some good voice chops, I felt that it didn't really service the film in any meaningful way.
Luckily, the film wasn't the 2 hour and 16 minute depression fest that I initially thought it would be, Noah Baumbach shows skill in littering in some humor and light hearted moments to balance with the bittersweet, somber tone of the film. There's also Baumbach's masterful use of tension that illuminates most of the scenes that Driver and Johannson share, and not in a suspenseful way, but rather in this lurking, uncomfortable sort of tension that's just itching to get out. Another thing that I expected to see was fighting, and there wasn't much of that, except for two instances...just two. But then again, most of the film is carried by that sense of uncomfortable tension.
Marriage Story is a film that deals with a number of difficult topics and emotions, but it is a film that deals with its themes and emotions with a sense of grace that makes me want to seek out more of Baumbach's work in the near future. It was simply wonderful, and you would do yourself a disservice if you don't see it.