Love can be both an amazing experience yet also a painful and heartbreaking one when divorce occurs. Although relationships may end under different circumstances, family ties are tougher to break and can be strengthened if both sides are willing to make it work as demonstrated in Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story. Whereas the film industry finds itself becoming more dominated by blockbusters, comic book movies and Hollywood remakes, one of the most appealing set of films that audiences generally look forward to are those which end up dominating award season. Generally, the type of films nominated often consist of being historical and romantic dramas with a rare blockbuster film being well-crafted enough to warrant Oscar consideration. What makes these films appealing to audiences besides their stories, are the distinct ways each one is told with their respective filmmakers putting their full craftsmanship on full display while placing Hollywood's finest actors in the lead roles. That certainly appears to be the case with Marriage Story, a 2019 Oscar nominated romantic drama starring both Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in the films main roles. The film ended up being both a financial and critical success with it ending up on many critics top 10 lists of 2019 along with it earning a total of six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and nominations for both main leads with a win for Laura Dern in a Best Supporting Actress category. Having seen the film in its entirety, one can see the appeal for Marriage Story with audiences as it serves as being both a well-written and extremely effective drama that's strongly acted by both its main leads, and directed with a compassionate approach which gives the story both an artistic and believable feel to it along with being told with a heavy dose of sentimentality.
The plot for Marriage Story centers around a young couple (Played brilliantly by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver) finding themselves struggling to maintain a close relationship with their young son with them now leading separate lives in different states as their marriage disintegrates. Of all the films nominated in the 2020 Best Picture Oscar category, Marriage Story carries a look and feel to it which makes it a relatable experience to audiences with the film serving as being a complex yet personal observation of a union, that's deeply fractured but is ultimately worth experiencing thanks to the powerful performances delivered by its main actors along with steady filmmaking. What makes the story so appealing to audiences besides it being well-handled is how down to earth it feels with many being able to connect with both the characters, as well as their ultimate challenge of trying to create a smooth transition for the sake of their child with the outcome ultimately being the reverse. The film is very much one that's not only grounded in reality but is mainly about loss, self-reflection, and adapting to new norms. Whereas the filmmakers do a beautiful job of conveying these themes to the audience, it's the performances of the main leads which add an extra layer to the film in regards to giving the story both the heart and pulse needed to truly make it work. Marriage Story serves as being an artistic yet thoughtful examination of relationships and how people can find themselves struggling to pick up the pieces when the glass shatters. It's a story that knows what it wants to say and does so with full confidence and awareness given that so many people in today's generation can relate to the main characters shown in the film. While not the best film to come out of 2019 nor was it the best film out of the Best Picture Oscar category, it still finds itself worthy of being among the list of both categories.
One of the key elements of Marriage Story that makes it work so well as being an effective hard-hitting drama are the exceptionally raw and convincing performances from its main cast. Both Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver prove to be perfect casting choices for their roles with them not only being able to work off each other well, but demonstrate dynamic chemistry together as a troubled pair who are struggling to remain on friendly terms. Their performances feel both realistic and believable with Johansson excelling in her role as Charlie's wife Nicole Barber with her being given powerful monologues where she reflects on her relationship with Driver's character, while revealing that she ultimately felt unnoticed by him in the end. She easily gives one of the best performances of her career with her managing to convey the appropriate emotions that her character requires. The same can also be said for Adam Driver in his role as Nicole's husband Charlie Barber. Driver is terrific to watch with him convincingly portraying his character as being a loving yet self-absorbed partner, while managing to make his character sympathetic with the audience being able to relate to his characters shock with learning about his divorce, as well as believing that the process will be a smooth one until realizing otherwise. Like Johansson, Driver brings a lot of emotional depth to the role with his character struggling to hold onto his emotions regarding their divorce with his sudden yet inevitable outbursts being extremely effective moments when they do occur. Both actors deliver equally fantastic performances with their respective Oscar nominations being well-warranted. The rest of the supporting cast does well in terms of backing up the main leads with Laura Dern surprising (And in some cases steals the show) in her role as Nicole's lawyer Nora Fanshaw. Dern does well with her role of playing a loyal attorney for Nicole with her character also managing to throw surprise punches in regards to pushing her client over the 50/50 mark in regards to gaining custody of her son Henry. Dern is terrific here and earns her Best Supporting Actress Oscar win with her character providing a strong trip for the main cast. The rest of the supporting cast deliver noteworthy performances with Ray Liotta and Alan Alda both impressing as Charlie's aggressive first lawyer Jay Marotta with his character demonstrating a firm hand in getting his client shared custody of Henry with Alda also doing well as Charlie's questionable and passive second lawyer Bert Spitz. In addition to the strong performances of the adult ensemble cast, Azhy Robertson turns in a strong performance as Nicole and Charlie's son Henry Barber. His character is the heart of the story and serves as the neutral figure in between the parents intensifying custody battle over whether Henry stays with his mother in Los Angeles or goes with his father to New York. Wallace Shawn also carries some funny bits here in an effort to ease the tension of the story with him playing one of Charlie's chatty cast members of his Broadway play named Frank. The cast for Marriage Story plays a significant role in regards to the film ultimately being as moving and effective as it ultimately turns out to be. The best performances easily come from Johansson and Driver in the films main roles, but the supporting cast manages to do a great job (Laura Dern and Ray Liotta especially) with reinforcing the strength of the main leads while providing a well-balanced atmosphere in which all the performances range from being very good to brilliant. There's not one performance shown that doesn't work nor falls under the category of being unsatisfactory with everyone bringing their A game to the film, along with making the whole experience feel both real and unsettling for audiences. Realism is the key here and the cast as a whole manage to convincingly sell it to the audience.
In terms of the films directing, Noah Baumbach impresses with both his realistic and sincere approach to bringing such a well-written story to the big screen. What makes his divorce story unique compared to others , is how he does an impressive and noteworthy job of presenting both sides of the issue to audiences with the viewpoints of both main characters being well-balanced and understandable to the audience. His inclusion of humor into the film is cleverly utilized and much appreciated in easing the steady tension that builds throughout the story as the divorce proceedings become nastier. Baumbach takes care of his characters and invites the audience into the lives of the Barbers with the films effective opening sequence being wonderfully narrated by Driver. The film is given a slow-burning pace that allows the audience to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Barbers marriage/divorce while getting to know and understand both Johansson and Driver's characters. The cinematography (Filmed in 35mm) is well-shot with it giving the film more of a personal look with the expressions on the characters faces being magnified for the audience to see. The camera work not only makes both the New York and Los Angeles settings of the film appear to be visually striking, it also makes no attempt to shy audiences away from the harsh and brutal realities of the story with the cinematography allowing for long and lingering close-ups of the actors faces in showing the vulnerabilities of their characters regarding the situation. The films score by Randy Newman is solid with it adding both an intimate touch to the story regarding the romance, while slowly breaking ones heart as the strength of the family begins to loosen. Newman's score fits right in with the look and style of the film. As far as the films directing goes, Noah Baumbach does a fine job of making the story one that feels both realistic and personal for the audience. With his skillful directing, his ability to get career best performances out of his main actors along with utilizing Randy Newman's score, allows him to craft a gut-wrenching emotional drama that not only possesses enormous amounts of heart but can often be genuinely heartbreaking to watch at times as the divorce battle intensifies. The main actors are only as strong as the direction their given with Noah Baumbach putting his full craftsmanship as a filmmaker on display here not just in the directing category, but in writing as well.
The screenplay written by Baumbach provides the story with a strong foundation along with being rich in terms of character development. The film presents a well-balanced yet unflinching look on the concept of divorce with the story showing how messy the whole process can become if allowed to. What Baumbach does well with the script is showing both characters perspectives on the divorce, along with showing their motivations in dragging the case out further than it needs to with their lawyers provoking the tension during the legal battle. Baumbach's script feels inclusive with it tackling themes pertaining to love, relationships, parenting, divorce, competitiveness, custody battles, and extra-marital affairs with the films overall message saying that sometimes relationships can end badly and that it takes work to keep things together when children are involved. Baumbach makes no attempts to shy away from the painful realities of divorce and puts it on full display here with the little bits of humor he incorporates into the film being brief moments of relief for the audience as both the drama and tension multiply. He shows neither side of the marriage to be perfect with Driver's character despite being a good father figure also appearing to be self-absorbed and cheated on his wife when their relationship ran into difficult times. Despite showing his characters faults, the writer makes it a point to emphasize Charlie's struggle with scrambling to meet his wife head on with the divorce proceedings as her expensive and relentless lawyer aims to take everything from him. Nicole is also shown at times as being inconsiderate with her ambushing Charlie with divorce papers along with randomly switching up times that he can see their son. Baumbach takes the characters and places them in some truly awful situations such as the courtroom scene where both Nicole and Charlie's lawyers fire ammunition at each other using personal information against the other person in an effort to gain full custody of their child. There's also little moments placed in the script that make a huge impact on the story such as a scene in which Nicole is in bed with her family and is shown unbeknownst to them, to be quietly crying while her husband reads a bedtime story to their son, signifying her unhappiness with her marriage. Baumbach doesn't paint these characters to be perfect but makes it a point to show how people can suddenly fall in love with each other then later fall out of being such, while struggling to remain on friendly terms when kids are involved. The screenplay is very much a story about a marriage slowly falling apart through a nasty divorce with both parties struggling to keep their family intact. For audiences, this is a reality that many know all too well about and have experienced which makes it an even more powerful and absorbing experience. With Baumbach, the film serves as being a self-reflection of his own life as the film represents his own divorce as well as that of both his parents and friends. He does a fantastic job of creating a story that feels universal to audiences without it coming across as feeling preachy or hitting them over the head with the films message.
As Marriage Story unabashedly shows, divorce is painful and can be an extremely unsettling and ugly process not just for both parties, but for the audience watching the story unfold. The film is not without its brutal moments that drive home the harsh realities of such a situation like the scene involving Charlie and Nicole's big fight in their private meeting away from their lawyers in which both sides unleash their frustrations, disappointments, and hidden feelings of anger and resentment towards each other. Such a moment is stunning, powerful, and ultimately heartbreaking for the audience as they witness the toll that such a process has taken on both parties as a whole with them also not being let off the hook with the films realities. For some audiences, Marriage Story may be too brutal in it's depiction of divorce or feel too close to home to be watched as a form of entertainment. The story is not one that should be viewed lightly as it's designed to be a journey for the audience, which for some can either be an informative or self-reflective experience. What guides the film are the remarkable performances that both Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver deliver, the strong performances from the supporting cast that back the lead performances up, and the sincerity that writer-director Noah Baumbach brings to the story in showing the audience how heartbreaking the process of divorce can be. Although the film shows how marriages can ultimately end on a depressing and bitter note, family bonds can remain strong and intact if both sides are willing to put in the work to maintain a unified front for their kids. In a society where divorces are becoming more and more common, Marriage Story is one that's tough to watch but also remains hopeful with it's uplifting message that's driven home with the films final scene involving Nicole tying both Henry and Charlie's shoes before the latter go off to spend time together. Such a scene is impactful for the audience because it shows that even though their experience is a painful yet temporary one, family bonds if strengthened and worked for are tougher to break and will outlast any divorce proceedings. Marriage Story is an emotional drama that has its heart in the right place and delivers an experience that's difficult to watch at times due to how connected one becomes with the characters, but is ultimately a rewarding one.
Final Verdict: For those looking for a well-acted and effective emotional drama, Marriage Story is definitely worth the time and effort to watch.
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