Review: Marriage Story

Marriage Story, directed by Noah Baumbach, tells the tale of Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) living happily married while raising their son until they stop and file a divorce. As they struggle with the tedious divorce process, Nicole and Charlie must think about the well-being of their son and ask themselves how they really feel for each other and whether the hardship for a potentially happier live separated is worth the drama.

This is the latest film from Noah Baumbach, who also directed The Squid and The Whale, Francis Ha, and The Meyorwitz Stories, and is the latest project he did with Netflix, which has had a bit of a great streak with films like The Irishman and Dolemite Is My Name which were both great films. This film marks another fantastic addition to the studio’s ever increasing library and is easily one of the best films I’ve seen all year.

The strongest aspect of the film is the screenwriting and the performances that bring it to life. Baumbach writes one of the best screenplays of the year; not only did every line of dialogue felt natural and real, they also make every scene mesmerizing to watch. The performances were all around incredible. Scarlett Johansson gives one of my favorite performances of the year; every emotion she delivers not only feels raw but also incredibly subtle when it needs to be. The same goes for Adam Driver, who also knocks it out the ball park with a performance that rivals Joaquin Phoenix’s from Joker.

The supporting cast were also great to watch, with Laura Dern giving a very charismatic perfomance in particular. Everything else compliments the film incredibly well; the musical score by Randy Newman was lovely, the cinematography was purposeful, and the themes are very unique for a film in this genre. The film focuses on the two leads pretty fairly and equally, so no matter who you side with you’ll always be able to understand why each character does or say what they say.

Overall this was a phenomenal film to check out. The performances and writing alone makes this one of the best films you can check out this year. The film will be out on Netflix December 6th, but like The Irishman if you’re able to find a theater that’s playing this film I highly recommend checking it out there. I will most certainly watch this film again the moment it’s available on Netflix and I cannot stress enough for you to check this film out whenever you can.

Final Verdict: 10/10