Marriage Story is, despite the name, a film not actually all that much about marriage. It’s a film about two people who were married, but now very much want that marriage to be over. A more apt title for the film would be Divorce Story, but that doesn’t seem like a very appealing film to watch.
But, even if it did have such an off-putting title, it would do nothing to change the fact that Marriage Story is a very appealing film, and one that I definitely recommend watching. In the words of Shakespeare, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and Marriage Story would still be an excellent film even if it was called Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson Yell and Cry at Each Other for Two Hours: The Movie.
There are countless other films about divorce but never have I seen one that didn’t ruthlessly pit the audience against one character in that relationship. Take potentially the most famous flick about divorce: 1979’s Kramer vs Kramer. That film unfairly villainises Meryl Streep’s character Joanna and makes the audience feel that her winning custody of her child is a bad thing. We as the audience only really see Dustin Hoffman’s character Ted’s point of view so therefore we mainly feel sorry for him.
Marriage Story is so successful because it presents a balanced view of divorce through two well-rounded characters who both have good traits and who both have bad traits and are both going through a terrible situation. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson play Charlie and Nicole Barber, a director and an actor, a husband and a wife and parents to eight-year-old Henry (Azhy Robertson). The film charts the duration of their divorce, from such pivotal moments as Nicole serving the divorce papers to Charlie, to the smaller things, like the former couple learning to live with alternative Halloween arrangements.
Driver and Johansson’s characters are equally realistic. It’s easy for the viewer to identify with and sympathise with both of them, as during the course of the film they are both the villain and both the victim. And because they are more written like real people and not “film characters”, they also have traits that the viewer can identify in themselves. For example, I really resonated with Nicole’s need to develop the confidence to have her own life and not be ruled by the wants of others, but I also saw myself as possessing the same selfishness that causes Charlie so many problems. The characters are brought to life in such a skilful way by both the actors and the talented and simple direction of Noah Baumbach that the film is absolutely engaging despite being essentially two hours of watching a couple argue.
Another part of what makes the film so intriguing, apart from the well-written characters, is how raw and real each scene is. There is never a sense that this film is headed towards a “kiss-and-make-up” Hollywood style of ending. These are two real people and even though they might come to some sort of mutual agreement by the end of the film, people in real life don’t just suddenly stop divorcing and fall in love again, and neither will these characters.
One other thing that the film can do, for better or worse, is teach us a lot about our own relationships. I haven’t been married but I have gone through relationship problems with my partner – who hasn’t? This film made me think about the things I could do better to avoid this situation happening to me. I need to be less selfish. I need to be less temperamental. It also made me think about what I want out of my relationship – will my own dreams be supported as well as my partner’s?
It’s really easy to see why Marriage Story was so highly praised upon its release, and it is well-deserving of all the awards and accolades. So, do I recommend it? Absolutely. As I said at the start of the review, it wouldn’t matter if this film was called CrapFest 3000 – with such a talented cast and filmmaker coming together to create something special, it’s definitely worth a watch.
BEST BITS
– I didn’t mention Laura Dern’s character in the main review but she plays Nicole’s lawyer Nora Fanshaw and she gives the character this absolutely infectious confidence and sexiness. I’m really enjoying this Dern-Renaissance of late.
– There’s a really nice sense of humour in the film that punctuates the deeper moments.
– This film actually inspired me to be a better person, which is hard to do.
WORST BITS
– The score could have been more memorable. I weirdly don’t remember a single song or piece of music from it?
FINAL RATING: 8.5/10
