Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Marriage Story Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 11, 2020

Writer/director Noah Baumbach has always permitted pieces of himself to inform his work, assessing stages of his life and experience with family through mostly effective dramedies, including his last endeavor, 2017’s “The Meyerowitz Stories.” With “Marriage Story,” Baumbach goes to a dark place to assess the end of a life shared by two unhappy people, taking over two hours of screentime to assess the difficulties of a specifically challenged marital union. This one plays like Baumbach is flipping through pages of his diary, delivering frighteningly intimate work that remains focused on troubling psychological spaces, with the fingerprints of personal experience found all over the effort. “Marriage Story” is richly detailed, tastefully balanced with some needed comedy, and consistently attentive to the inner lives of the lead characters, who endure all the dehumanization of the divorce process in America. And yet, through the gloom and rising anxiety, Baumbach always preserves the heart of the moment, fleshing out the struggle of legal and emotional separation.

Living in New York City, Charlie (Adam Driver) is a celebrated theatrical director specializing in avant-garde plays starring his wife, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), who was once a teen movie star and now works as a stage actress. They have a young son, Henry (Azhy Robertson), living a hectic life of rehearsal and Broadway aspirations, with Charlie nearing his first chance to bring one of his works to the masses. When Nicole books a television pilot in Los Angeles, returning to her family for the job, she also moves forward with divorce plans. While the couple initially desires a peaceful end to their union without the intrusion of legal forces, the need for lawyers soon arises, with Nicole hiring Nora (Laura Dern), who transforms the situation into an attack on Charlie. As the father and husband tries to understand the crumbling of his initial arrangement with Nicole, Charlie realizes he needs legal help as well, working to defend himself while still processing his frayed connection to his wife.

Baumbach introduces Nicole and Charlie as they work on marriage therapy homework, tasked with making a list of each other’s positive attributes, planning to share their thoughts during their next session. It turns out Nicole doesn’t want to deliver her assessment, backing away from a summation of Charlie’s daily behavior, frustrating the therapist. It’s the first moment of contention displayed in “Marriage Story,” with Baumbach identifying the half-speed effort Nicole and Charlie are putting into the deconstruction of their cohabitation, highlighting personal quirks, habits, and concerns, only Nicole is finally letting go of a pipe dream, ready to make divorce official. However, with Henry involved, the pair tries to play nice, giving the screenplay its initial spark, watching as the couple work to preserve the boy’s living experience while dealing with their own domestic and professional connections, with Nicole growing weary of Charlie’s “notes” on performance and attitude, with the director involved in the breakdown of his marriage, but unable (or unwilling) to accept what’s happening to their shared life.

There’s no grand arc of plot to follow in “Marriage Story,” as Baumbach prefers to remain in the muck of it all, tracking Nicole’s retreat to Los Angeles with Henry, where she takes a job on a sitcom, supported by mother Sandra (Julie Hagerty) and sister Cassie (Merritt Weaver). Charlie remains in NYC, protecting his company’s future move to Broadway, forced to fly to L.A. to keep up with parental duties and participate in court rulings. Interplay between Nicole and Charlie dissolves speedily in “Marriage Story,” but Baumbach isn’t obsessed with making an argumentative picture. Instead, he concentrates on the procedural horrors of divorce, where Nicole hires Nora, a legal shark who shuts down an amicable resolution to the union. Charlie is blindsided by the escalation, forced to not only take up residence in L.A. to have a chance at custody, but he works through a series of lawyers, finding comfort with Bert (Alan Alda) and aggression with Jay (Ray Liotta). The professionals burn through cash and build walls around Nicole and Charlie, giving “Marriage Story” frightening scenes of powerlessness as normal people are roped into courtroom theatrics, which amplify seemingly innocuous behavior, peeling off layers of humanity until the clients are left exposed and broke.

Baumbach’s aim to navigate the legal minefield of divorce is fascinating, detailing the brutality of the system, which greatly complicates communication between Nicole and Charlie. She’s working through an identity crisis and he’s faced with control issues, and there are sharp scenes of soured interactions, including a red-faced, running-nose blow-up between the couple who finally have it out inside Charlie’s empty apartment. It’s a stunning scene of honesty and combat, but the true brilliance of “Marriage Story” remains in anxious observations, finding Charlie absorbing his diminished role in the lives of loved ones, and Nicole finding her confidence through denial. Johansson locates surprising areas of honesty for the character, working wonderfully with Baumbach’s observant screenplay, also generating an authentic relationship with Driver, who’s absolutely crushing as Charlie, delivering the best performance of his career. Driver is expressive and raw, welcoming an appreciation for Charlie’s complexity and an understanding of the man’s hesitant action when it comes to the fragility of his future. Driver is masterful, moving from a silent scream to a climatic Sondheim purge, never losing the essence of a man blindsided by the sum of his mistakes and unintended neglect.

Marriage Story Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation does immensely well with Baumbach's visual style, preserving his love of saturated colors, capturing the pristine brightness of living spaces and the heaviness of theater, hotel, and restaurant visits. Primaries are clear, with direct reds and hazy yellows in the lighting scheme, also giving costuming a real presence with Halloween gear and casual wear. Interior decoration is also vivid, surveying tasteful living spaces with flowery hues. City visits retain the divide between the concrete coldness of New York and the warmer sun and greenery of Los Angeles. Skintones are natural. Detail is sharp throughout, with excellent facial particulars that define the subtle emotional weight carried by the characters, while outfits are fibrous, including heavier suits. Housing and office decoration are open for study, contrasting the lived-in feel of Nicole's world and Charlie's spartan lifestyle. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is heavier and film-like.

Marriage Story Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is a largely frontal listening event, with dialogue exchanges precise, offering full, deep voices and crisp argumentative behavior. Scoring supports with a gentle orchestral sound, including warm strings and brass, and even occasional triangle hits. Music pushes out into the surrounds, while atmospherics are circular, capturing group bustle in theater spaces and restaurants. Room tone is present, along with more active urban environments. Low-end reaches about as far as it's meant to.

Marriage Story Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (20:49, HD) with writer/director Noah Baumbach examines his creative process for "Marriage Story," detailing the origins of the idea, thematic and emotional intent, and balance of characterization, including legal influences. Casting is explored, along with Baumbach's own feelings on the production experience, which took an unexpected emotional toll.

• "The Players" (19:36, HD) collects interviews with actors Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, and Laura Dern. The thespians discuss initial reactions to the material, finding their characters during the shoot, personal interpretation, and their creative relationships with one another and Baumbach.

• "The Filmmakers" (11:51, HD) collects interviews with Baumbach, producer David Heyman, editor Jennifer Lame, production designer Jade Healy, and costume designer Mark Bridges. The participants explore creative choices made to tell the story visually, piecing together the emotional and character beats of the movie.

• Making Of (97:41, HD) is an amazing fly-on-the-wall look at the creation of the picture. Trusting in the power of observation, the documentary looks at the building of scenes, with Baumbach interacting with cast and crew, fielding questions and finding the heart of the moment. This is no talking head journey, just raw, uncut professionalism, and it's a thrill to watch.

• "Randy Newman" (11:12, HD) is an interview with Baumbach, who describes his thematic intent with the music of "Marriage Story," while Newman appears to inspect his orchestral choices, experimentation, and working relationship with Baumbach.

• "Making a Scene" (6:43, HD) joins Baumbach as he visits the apartment set, explaining his thoughts on the layout, furniture, and technical concepts for the scenes that take place in the space.

• And Trailer "Nicole" (1:15, HD) and Trailer "Charlie" (1:19, HD) are included.

Marriage Story Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's lightness to parts of "Marriage Story," as Baumbach delivers a few darkly comedic scenes to give the feature some needed surprises, and the supporting cast is aces, with everyone contributing defined personalities to expand the story, identifying oily legal hustle and in-law concern. Baumbach maintains atmosphere and coastal antagonism, but he never loses the essential loss of privacy and birth of humiliation that remains at the center of "Marriage Story." The film inspects the gradual destruction of routine, doing so with keenly observed moments of shock and sadness, and it all feels so achingly real, with Baumbach not taking sides, but questing to understand the headspaces of those trying to process the dissolution of a once trusted partnership.