Greenberg (2010)

To me, this movie is perfection.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

After wondering why I had not heard much about this movie - approached it with caution - now I understand why it failed big time. The best way to summarise might be to see it for what it is - Neurotic Minimalism. What might have been a good study of attempting to re-engage with yourself gets totally lost in the movie makers obscene & disconnected self indulgences. This style of pseudo sociology appeals to the in-crowd & those who think of themselves as 'insightful' - while actually being estranged from any worthy reality. Christopher Tookey (Daily Mail) sums it up rather accurately: "This is the kind of low-budget movie that attracts respectful reviews, but tiny audiences. That's because there's virtually no story or character development",etc. Writer Jennifer Jason Leigh and director (co writer) Noah Baumbach both end up tending to glorify grotty people who display no understanding of how to engage in healthy relationships. It's the sort of movie that won't benefit anyone attempting to improve their lives so, maybe best stay away.

I will not recommend this movie. There are better forms of lose your time. The casting was good, the problem was the writer and the director. When I saw that the protagonist was Ben Stiller, I thought this is going to be a good one. well, I was wrong. After an hour of nothing happening I gave up. The language is definitely not suitable for minor of 18 years. A really depressing movie. Sad. It will leave nothing on you . If you are thinking about renting it, don't lose your money.

Florence Marr (Greta Gerwig) is the Greenberg family nanny in L.A. The family goes on a trip while the brother Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) drops by to housesit. She's young trying to find her way. He's a New Yorker misanthrope just out of an insane asylum. He doesn't drive and writes complaint letters. His friend Ivan Schrank (Rhys Ifans) pushes him to go to Eric Beller (Mark Duplass)'s barbecue where he runs into ex-girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh) with her kids. Roger, Eric and Ivan were once in a band but Roger refused to sign a recording deal. Florence and Roger have an on-and-off relationship.Ben Stiller is going too dark. It's a matter of slight miscalibration. This could be a great indie rom-com but I can't find any likability to Roger. His dialog could have some sharp sarcastic jokes to take off the edge. I need to laugh with him but his dark depressed nature keeps getting into the way. Getting angry over his birthday is probably the only laughable moment although saying Florence's emotional story is pointless gets a small chuckle. His anger needs to have more comedy as an outlet and to balance his dark side. It has some good moments but it could have been better.

The passionate antipathy that this movie has generated (see it's many one star reviews here, such as the person who removed the DVD after one hour, broke the DVD in half, then decided it was necessary to break it into fourths....) tells you that there is something to this movie. I always find it strange when people are so affected by a work of art as to have their passions inflamed by it and then they say it is crap....GREENBERG is a musing, contemplative character study that follows the life of Ben Stiller's 40ish post break down bachelor guy who has flown out to California to stay in his brother's empty house for a while and work at "doing nothing".A lot of people won't like this movie because it is like real life. A lot of people won't like this movie because it is not plot driven. Some people will just find the Greenberg character too irritating, but those should be able to notice that it is a pretty good movie even if they don't like it.And for the rest, however much a minority they may be, this movie has a lot to offer. Remarkable acting, several genuinely memorable scenes, and a canvas that encourages one's mind to explore deeper questions about contemporary life, humanity, and our often dysfunctional relationships.