Marriage Story

Twenty-for-Seven #6 (Day 2)
2019, d. Noah Baumbach - Netflix


At this stage in life I'm not much of a drama guy. I'm too aware of drama in the world (it's ever-present), at work, and of course all the drama family life can bring with it.  I want as little drama as possible, so when I want to watch TV or a movie, something classified as "drama", especially something approximating real life, is the last thing I want. 

Baumbach's early work traded in heightened drama, punching up the dramatic elements to the point that it's so awkward and uncomfortable that it borders on satirical, comedic even.  But looking closer, especially at the past 10 years of his work, he seems to be settling into a Woody Allen-esque light/comedy-drama phase.  There's more character-based comedy rather than social awkwardness, and the drama seems to be tempered so that the characters, less so the audience, bear the brunt of it. 

The writer-director seems to have found an effective way to draw the audience, and invest in the character but in an outside observer, 3rd person narrative kind of way, not in a first-person, this-is-me way.  This slight sense of detachment allows the comedy to filter through much easier, and the more dramatic elements to slide off. 

With Marriage Story, I was expecting more of a return to the The Squid and the Whale type discomfort, but was pleased to find it was a lot more forgiving than that. 

In reality, Marriage Story is "Divorce Story" as we meet theatre director Charlie (Adam Driver) and actress Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) at couples counseling as they navigate the first stage of their separation.  This counseling starts in the form of a montage with each character narrating what they like or love about the other character.  It sets the tone immediately that these two were clearly in love with each other at one time and still retain a great deal of respect and admiration. 

Nicole is moving to L.A. with their son, Henry -- an adaptable, whip-smart kid who isn't afraid to speak his own mind -- while Charlie brings his play to broadway.  The divorce proceedings start out civil until the lawyers become involved and the film presents a definitely satirical look at how the legal side of things has become an industry, and not necessarily anything to benefit any party in the relationship.

The film decides to focus more on Charlie's experience with this, rather than Nicole's, which shows Baumbach's bias in the script (as it was inspired by his own divorce from Jennifer Jason Leigh).  But it mercifully doesn't portray Nicole in a bad light in any way, more just the family law's bias against the fathers in custody battles.   The larger satire mainly falls in the fact that Charlie and Nicole want to come to a reasonable understanding with their divorce, but it's the lawyers who, so used to having to engage combative participants, spur on this kind of challenging, mud-slinging atmosphere that gets things dirty.  Once out of reach of the lawyers, Charlie and Nicole still have very healthy communication, but with percolating resentment that wasn't there before.

Marriage Story is quite wry, and not as nerve-racking as I was expecting.  I found all the characters very entertaining (Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Mickey Sumner, Julie Hagerty, Ray Liotta all in great supporting roles) and their dynamics with each other was impeccable.  The film so rarely ratchets up any tension, that when Charlie and Nicole finally explode on each other, it's more a result of frustration at the process than any real disdain for each other.  It's cathartic, but immediately regretted, and thing become uneasy for a while.  But the film wants both characters to find comfort, and the audience as well.  It makes it through okay, but also makes you wish for a better path.

If anything, Marriage Story, wants to let you know that communication is key to relationships if they're to work, but it takes work, and clarity.  Nicole and Charlie communicated well, but not well enough for their relationship to survive, and not well enough to make their divorce a smooth one.  And still it seems to have worked out so much better than most divorces tend to.

This is the type of drama I can handle any day.  Two people who may have conflict but are still able to find the civility in it, and the observant third party who can find the humour amidst all of it.