Marriage Story landed on Netflix last week and many film fans watched the movie over the weekend. The divorce drama has been nominated for six Golden Globes, just ahead of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and The Irishman with five apiece.
The film is a deeply personal effort from Noah Baumbach, charting the breakdown of a marriage between a successful director and his actor wife. While it might not be entirely autobiographical, Baumbach has said he drew on his own experiences with Jennifer Jason Leigh:
I have a real connection to the material… I was also at a time in my life where many of my friends were getting divorced. I saw it as an opportunity to do something more expansive, so I did a lot of research. I interviewed a lot of my friends, and friends of friends, and then also lawyers, judges, mediators.
One of the most interesting elements of the film is that the couple don't despise each other and things only truly go awry the second the lawyers (memorably played by Alan Alda, Laura Dern and Ray Liotta) get involved.
Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver give exceptional performances at the heart of the film, a profound meditation on the dying embers of a relationship that calls to mind classics like Kramer vs. Kramer and Husbands and Wives.
While The Meyerowitz Stories, Baumbach’s previous work, was betrayed by its title and felt somewhat episodic in nature, Marriage Story is, fittingly, laser-focused in its approach. This is one story told from the beginning of the end to, well, the end of the end. It’s devastating at times but also feels hopeful by its conclusion. The film feels so close to what must have been the reality of Baumbach’s experience with divorce that we might as well be reading his diary. Yet Marriage Story is likely to resonate with anyone with experience of relationships.
Naturally, Twitter being Twitter, opinion was mixed for an adult drama.
Finally got to see #MarriageStory. A feat of genius from all involved. I laughed, I cried, I was punched in the gut… https://t.co/yPYfIa8TZ9— Lauren Gallo (she/her) (laurengallo.eth) (@Lauren Gallo (she/her) (laurengallo.eth)) 1575822327
Just watched #MarriageStory on Netflix 😠heart wrenching stuff, chaos and sadness all wrapped onto one. Up there with Revolutionary Road— Alexandra Ryan (@Alexandra Ryan) 1575826456
Worth saying again: MARRIAGE STORY is a major achievement of film storytelling for 2019. Not unlike PARASITE, I did… https://t.co/S6Ru8xaI0Z— Matt Dentler (@Matt Dentler) 1575835606
Brilliant movie. Brilliant cast too, with some heartbreaking performances from Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson. #MarriageStory— Ciara King (@Ciara King) 1575829362
#MarriageStory is #CertifiedFresh at 96% on the #Tomatometer, with 263 reviews. https://t.co/jzSjwR5o7m— Rotten Tomatoes (@Rotten Tomatoes) 1575811020
And then there were the naysayers.
#MarriageStory is #CertifiedFresh at 96% on the #Tomatometer, with 263 reviews. https://t.co/jzSjwR5o7m— Rotten Tomatoes (@Rotten Tomatoes) 1575811020
Marriage Story has some perceptive moments but it feels heavily overwritten and frequently overwrought; I never bel… https://t.co/MPo1pi9HGX— David (@David) 1575821776
Not in love with Marriage Story. Great performances by Driver and Johansson. Probably career-best. But the script g… https://t.co/2SoPXDIaN0— Jacob Shamsian (@Jacob Shamsian) 1575821772