By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
NEW YORK, NEW YORK-- ?Marriage Story? is perhaps the most raw, insightful and brutally honest movie about marriage and divorce that you?ll see this year or perhaps in several years.
Directed by
Noah Baumbach (?Frances Ha? and ?The Meyerowitz Stories?) and written shortly after Baumbach?s own divorce from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, ?Marriage Story? will arouse a host of emotions from joy and anger to fear and sorrow.
?Marriage Story? has been a critical darling this year on the film festival circuit. It opened in select theaters on Nov. 6 and will expand to other cities on
Nov. 22 including
Sacramento where it will play at the Palladio in Folsom and the Country Club Cinema before it
streams Dec. 6 on Netflix.
N2Entertainment.net recently attended the ?Marriage Story? press junket in New York and discussed the movie with Baumbach and the film?s stars: Laura Dern, Alan Alda and Adam Driver.
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Much of the buzz surrounding ?Marriage Story? centers on the fine performances from Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Both actors are having banner years. In addition to Johansson?s star turn as Black Widow in ?Avengers: Endgame? and the quirky, war dramedy, ?JoJo Rabbit,? she reaches deep down in ?Marriage Story? and showcases some of the best acting of her career.
Driver, aka Kylo Ren from ?Star Wars,? has given us glimpses of his talents in movies such as ?Paterson,? ?The Report,? and especially last year in Spike Lee?s powerful drama, ?BlacKkKlansman.?
But, with ?Marriage Story? he takes things to another level as Charlie, a New York theater director married to Nicole (Johansson) an actress who has grown bitter and tired of their relationship. Their eight-year-old son Henry (Azhy Robertson, ?After the Wedding?) bears the brunt of their ongoing drama.
Nicole would rather be in Los Angeles and Charlie wants no part of it. So, they fuss, and they fight. When things move from separation to Charlie being served divorce papers by Nicole?s sister, (Merritt Wever, ?Charlie Says?), the sparks do fly. Nicole?s mom, (Julie Hagerty, TV?s ?Family Guy?) loves Charlie and is hoping they?ll work things out.
They don?t.
Adding more fuel to this raging fire are the high-flying lawyers. Charlie has two. Bert Spitz (a fabulous Alan Alda, TV?s ?Ray Donovan?) is much more pragmatic in his approach to divorce cases and charges $950 an hour. Jay, on the other hand (a great Ray Liotta, TV?s ?Shades of Blue?) is the shark out for blood.
Nicole?s attorney Nora Fanshaw (magnificently played by Laura Dern, ?Little Women?) is a ferocious beauty ready for battle.
What makes ?Marriage Story? so compelling is the writing and the great cast that bring life to every word of the script. This movie will bend and break your heart. It?s superb in every way.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 1530 AM and 93.1 FM.
Check Out This Trailer For
"MARRIAGE STORY"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics? Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
