Noam Baumbach has carved out a niche for himself examining the angst of being rich and white. Not as whimsical as Wes Anderson creations, Baumbach’s characters have a better awareness of their tics and neuroses. This more realistic approach makes his characters often unlikeable, setting up a much harder comedy to sell to audiences. With his latest film, Greenberg and the unpleasant title character, played by Ben Stiller, Baumbach has given himself his toughest challenge to date.
Roger Greenberg is a fortysomething, neurotic, self-centred jerk, who comes to L.A. to house-sit for his successful brother, Philip (Chris Messina) whilst he vacations with his family. Roger, recently released from a psychiatric unit, tries to use this time to reconnect with old friends and get his life in order, but as the film shows he is painfully out of his depth. Rather inexplicably twentysomething Florence (Greta Gerwig), Philip’s personal assistant, falls for Roger. It seems that maybe these two people, who are both treading water, might be a love match.
While Stiller’s performance is good, the film’s central character is far less engaging than the supporting cast. Greta Gerwig as Florence is a revelation. She almost makes you believe that someone as lovely and kind as Florence could fall for someone as truly charmless as Roger Greenberg. Also excellent is Rhys Ifans as Ivan Schrank, Greenberg’s supportive and tolerant friend. Ifans gives a fantastically understated performance, showing a character who has lived with similar disappointments to Roger, yet has managed to remain a happy functioning person.
Greenberg was written by Baumbach, with his wife- Jennifer Jason Leigh, who also has a small part in the film as Roger’s girl that got away, Beth. While the film is funny, clever and well-written it is also oddly unemotional. With an unrewarding central character the film lacks the ability to connect with audiences, many of whom will not want to spend time with the obnoxious Roger Greenberg. This is definitely a film for the already-Baumbach-converted.
First published in The Brag 19/07/10
