Baumbach delivers a raw, realistic stunner! [+81%]

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2020)

It's wonderful to see a filmmaker like Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Greenberg) tackle a simple, basic subject and elevate it to greater heights. He has displayed the ability to convert a raw, realistic marriage-divorce saga into something so deep, mature, hard-hitting, and engaging. The brilliant writing (by the director himself) is backed by exemplary performances from its entire ensemble. Marriage Story did remind me of Asghar Farhadi's A Separation at certain points, but it's a film that's wholly American in its texture, its perspectives.
Adam Driver (as theater director Charlie) and Scarlett Johansson (as theater artist Nicole) are both stunning in their own right. They make their characters appear extremely grounded and believable and it gives us the feel of watching the divorce proceedings of a couple that we have seen and known very well. While the core theme of a couple going through a divorce may not seem like fresh material for feel-good cinema, Baumbach actually makes it look earnest. The film opens with the two of them reading out (in their minds) what they love about each other only for the viewer to realize that they're sitting in front of a mediator.
It's a solid hook for an opening scene. You're immediately drawn to the lives of Charlie and Nicole. You want to know what drove them to the point of separation when they just spent ten minutes talking in length about each other's strengths and adorable qualities. Baumbach takes the rom-com route to tell his story but in a strictly sensible fashion. The exes want to keep things friendly for their son Henry, but they soon realize that they're drifting away from each other. The lawyers of the splitting couple, Nora (Nicole's lawyer; a splendid Laura Dern), Jay (Charlie's first lawyer; a pointy Ray Liotta), and Bert (Charlie's second lawyer; a calmer Alan Alda) keep adding further layers to this increasingly hostile wedge.
The dialogues score brownie points. They're razor-sharp, filled with sarcasm and double entendre, and delivered with potency by each member of the ensemble cast. It also goes on to show the intensity of love, relatability, and understanding between husband and wife who slipped up in their personal lives while tending to their careers. Baumbach makes it clear that the institution of marriage lies in its basics: the prolonged eye-contact, the haircuts, the tying of the shoelaces, the making of breakfasts, the monopoly sessions, and more along those lines.
And oh, not to forget, there's a fair bit of comedy too, the kind you wouldn't expect in a film such as this. I love the way Charlie reacts to multiple people telling him L.A's got 'more space'. I also love the way Nicole's mom and sister prepare themselves to present the divorce petition to Charlie, just the way scene rehearsals (for theater or cinema) would look like. Marriage Story is incredible in the way it offers clarity to the arguments of both husband and wife before the decision is made. Its straightforwardness is incomparable.