As the American film industry drifts further into a sort of retarded infantilism–week after week of superheroes, television show remakes, stunted 80’s nostalgia for things that weren’t any good in the first place–it‘s important to remember that, on the fringes, there is still a filmmaker or two out there who is willing to crack open the pavement of the human dynamic and shine a light on what is underneath. Noah Baumbach, after a promising start to a career which got lost in the 1990’s indie shuffle which proved, for most, to be closer to Jonestown ‘78 than Laurel Canyon ‘67, has in the last five years shown himself to be an astute archaeologist of what makes people tick. The Squid and the Whale was a smart examination of a family dealing with divorce, while Margot at the Wedding offered a glimpse of two sisters dealing with disappointments and quiet resentments that was, at times, almost too poisonous for human consumption. Even a charmer like Fantastic Mr. Fox, which he co-wrote, has an undertow of familial dysfunction; a son who fears living up to his father‘s accomplishments, and a wife who worries her husband won’t ever grow up.

Now, with Greenberg, we have Baumbach casting his attentions to the male of the species. Ben Stiller, in literally the only performance of his career which I’ve ever admired, stars as Roger Greenberg, an emotionally stunted failed musician in his early 40’s who, as the film begins, has traveled to Los Angeles from his home in Brooklyn to house-sit his wealthy brother’s palatial home. It’s here that he first meets Florence, his brother’s personal assistant, a girl in her mid-20’s who is already drifting amiably, if not a bit disconsolately, through her own life. Greta Gerwig, who has become something akin to the Queen of the stultifying indie ‘mumblecore movement’, is wonderful as Florence, offering a performance of great subtlety as a woman who tries to please but is clumsily stumbling into a life she doesn’t really want, of loveless sex, casual drinking, and quiet sighs. Florence, early on, sees something in Roger, a bitter and caustic man who spends his time writing letters of complaint to major corporations, that nobody else, including the audience, seems to. Roger, for his part, sees in Florence someone he can both bully and manipulate.

Roger, who grew up in LA, also tries to reconnect with old acquaintances. One, his former band mate Ivan (a weary Rhys Ifans), who must deflect Greenberg’s guilt over the dissolution of their rock band, and Beth (a wary Jennifer Jason Leigh), his former flame who has happily moved on with her life, even as Roger can’t seem to get on with his. While both are glad to see him, it’s not always certain if he feels the same, or if he feels at all. Greenberg’s passive/aggressive behavior is almost awe-inspiring at times. Stiller, whose comedy success has always hinged on exploiting his own humiliations, here internalizes his impulses until he lets his frustrations out in short, sharp bursts. It’s the most human he’s ever appeared on film, devoid of warmth or pathos.

After many fits and bursts, a relationship of sorts does develop between Greenberg and Florence. Co-dependent at times, and somewhat revolving around a sick dog, the lazy manner in which the two part and depart, needy and yet distant, plays out as a sort of drunken waltz until the very end. The age difference between the two plays a part; Florence knows that Roger is too old for her, while Roger despairs over the fact that he cannot relate to her friends. Greenberg is, in many ways, a romantic comedy spared the romance and, occasionally, the laughs. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Drama/Comedy

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 7/13/10

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