Review: Marriage Story

Image courtesy of Netflix.

"Criminal lawyers see bad people at their best, while divorce lawyers see good people at their worst," says a character in Noah Baumbach's wrenching yet bittersweet "Marriage Story," the director's best in nearly a decade and one of his finest works overall. While that statement is debatable, its second half is mostly true regarding the two lead characters of this film.

We first meet Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) via voiceover as they describe their partner's greatest strengths, although we soon learn that this an assignment given to them by a counselor who is coaching them through the early stages of their divorce. At this point, things are still amicable. He's a theater director in New York City who specializes in the avant garde, while she's his lead actress who formerly got famous from a teen movie before she met Charlie. They have a precocious young son named Henry (Azhy Robertson).

Things start to get complicated when Nicole decides to move to Los Angeles - she's originally from California - to star in a TV show, and Charlie must travel back and forth to see Henry, who is living with his mother. The couple vows not to get lawyers involved, but Nicole eventually relents, hiring the spunky Nora (Laura Dern), which prompts Charlie to hire his own - first the good natured Bert (Alan Alda), but eventually the more aggressive Jay (Ray Liotta).

From there, things get increasingly acrimonious as Charlie's lawyers fight to get the couple considered as a "New York family" for residency and custody purposes, and eventually the couple's grievances get nasty. A court appearance turns ugly - with accusations of alcohol abuse to infidelity - and an argument between Nicole and Charlie at his new apartment results in both of them shouting things at each other they likely wished they'd never said. For the record, Charlie had cheated once during their marriage, and Nicole is prone to taking more than a few nightcaps on occasion.

"Marriage Story" - which feels like a combination of John Cassavetes, Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen, meaning it's alternately grueling and very funny - also makes the best use of exploring the New York-Los Angeles dichotomy in any film since "Annie Hall." Much like that classic, Baumbach's film is often bittersweet and filled with longing, that is, when it's not emotionally distressing.

While the film's middle section is full of heartbreaking sequences - the aforementioned bitter fight and a sequence during which Charlie tries with all his might to do the right things during a social worker's visit - the final few scenes are delicate and lovely. There's a scene in which one of the letters from the film's opening scene is revisited, which is followed by a heartbreakingly tender act of thoughtfulness in the final scene.

The performances here are across the board excellent. Driver and Johansson do most of the heavy lifting in their sure-to-be-nominated leading roles, but Dern is a scene stealer as the feisty Nora, a woman whose counsel for her client is likely driven by past experience, and Alda's portrayal of Charlie's first lawyer makes you want to give him a hug.

In his best films - namely, "The Squid and the Whale," "Greenberg" and this one - Baumbach deftly blends acrimony with poignancy, and "Marriage Story" hits some of the highest notes in both categories. It's a powerful slow burn drama that follows the crumbling of a relationship between two people who have their share of good qualities, but also faults.

Baumbach previously explored the harrowing experience a divorce can have on a child - "The Squid and the Whale" - whereas this one gives each of the parents a perspective. Both films are great, and are proof that Baumbach is one of the best current directors exploring the affairs of the heart.