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.