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Arts & Entertainment

Weekend Movie Forecast: <em>Greenberg</em> Vs. <em>The Bounty Hunter</em>

By

Robert Horan

Published Mar 19, 2010

Modified Mar 19, 2010

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One of the most impressive aspects of Noah Baumbach's Greenberg is that for its entire 107 minutes, Ben Stiller ceases to be Ben Stiller. Between his aged, emaciated face, darting eyes and continually hunched shoulders, Stiller strips himself of his entire career and for once becomes another person. Unlike, say, Adam Sandler in Punchdrunk Love or Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the transformation isn't fostered by a dramatic change in genre, because Greenberg is a very funny film, but by the control and ability of the performances, script and direction.Roger Greenberg is a single, forty-ish, ex-musician, carpenter, who, after a stint in a mental ward following a nervous breakdown, ends up crashing at his brother's place in L.A. for a few months while he and his family are away on vacation in Vietnam. Greenberg has the goal of doing absolutely nothing on his stay, except building a doghouse for the family dog, and is given the number of his brother's personal assistant Florence, in case he needs anything. Greta Gerwig, who plays the equally lost Florence, is not only showcased by the film but totally deserves all the attention she gets from it. She is so impossibly lovable and sweet that she makes Amy Adams look like Hitler as drawn by Disney.A lot has been made about the music in Greenberg because it was done by the brilliant James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), and because his last proper album came out in 2007 and his new one is still in the works, this is all we have. Sorry to break it to you, but although it's a good movie score, it's also a conventional one. This isn't a sign of anything, other than that Murphy understood the sensibility of the film and wanted to contribute to it, rather than use it as a showcase for his upcoming album. In fact, startlingly enough, the musical highlights of the film come via Duran Duran, Albert Hammond, and Steve Miller Band ("Jet Airliner" not only sets up the movie's infectious pleasantness, but sets the tone for the entire picture).Noah Baumbach and his wife Jennifer Jason Leigh (who gives a small, subtle but very engaging performance) have written a simple story about that awful age between 22 and married-with-children ("People don't call me on my birthday anymore") and render it not only absurd and funny but startlingly affecting. Although it's intentionally small, directed simply and conventionally, the film leaves a bittersweet feeling in the back of your mind, one you hope never goes away.

 

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By

Robert Horan

Published Mar 19, 2010

Modified Mar 19, 2010

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Click on the film stills for more details and reviews on this week's new releases and repertory screenings, which include: Greenberg, The Bounty Hunter, Repo Men, The Runaways, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, City Island, Vincere, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hubble 3D, The Prowler, and Stand By Me

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