Noah Baumbach Archives - i luv cinema

while we're young

(Sorry this one has been sitting in the draft folder for a minute …)

For the final recap of my 2014 New York Film Festival experience, I would like to discuss Noah Baumbach’s latest feature, While We’re Young. The ensemble cast is led by Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts as a middle aged couple, finding themselves at a crossroads.

On this journey to find something new or rewarding in their lives, they take up with a hipster couple (Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried), who are not all that they appeared to be, although we know for sure they are hipsters because they 1) live in a loft in Brooklyn, 2) ride bikes, 3) make their own ice cream. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

That is a very brief description, I realize; hope you got the gist of the spirit of the piece and kinda sorta can determine the direction and shape the narrative will take. There are, of course, additional details which deal with the interpersonal relationships, not just of the principal characters, but also with:

the growing estrangement from one’s close friends who are now dealing with their newly-established parenthood (somewhat relateable)
the continuing struggle (even in middle age – yes folks it never stops) to find one’s footing in the world (very relateable).

In the case of the latter, it is Ben Stiller’s character, a filmmaker dealing with living in the shadows of his father in law (played by Charles Grodin). There is an ironically meant subplot dealing with the subject of Stiller’s documentary, a professor played by Peter Yarrow or “Peter, Paul and Mary” fame.

Having quite enjoyed Baumbach’s previous outing, Frances Ha, I had a degree of goodwill when this was presented as a “surprise screening” at the festival. And while While We’re Young is clearly a well-made film with some solid performances and a good soundtrack, I found myself sitting through the screening quite disengaged from the action. That is to say this film might not be for everyone.

I am curious though – have any of you seen it? And if so, what were your thoughts? Hit the comments section below and SHARE SHARE SHARE!

Sure we find out the meaning of the title by the end of the film (Frances Ha) but what leads up to that final scene is a surprisingly charmer of a film.

frances ha 1

As Frances, Greta Gerwig portrays a disoriented Vassar grad attempting to lead a stable life in the city. At first she inhabits a bubble of ignorance alongside her pal Sophie (Mickey Sumner), an equally spirited young woman with whom Frances runs amuck in the city. When complications arise to challenge that relationship, Frances enters into an alternately sad and hilarious cycle of denial that gives the movie a rich dimension of pathos. (Source: Rooftop Films).

Shot beautifully in black and white and co-written by the director (Noah Baumbach) and his star, the dialogue is witty, fresh and flows naturally. The situations Frances finds herself in are truly hilarious and I found myself guffawing on several occasions. I think that what resonated so much is that the film does not take themselves too seriously but rather is turning a self-deprecating lens on itself.

Frances Ha marks my first Mr. Baumbach experience. Prior to this screening, what I did know about his body of work, is that it often takes a rather melancholic tone. So you can imagine my surprise when I found this film so upbeat and hopeful at the close.

This however is NOT my first Greta Gerwig film … she is an engaging screen presence who seems ideally suited for these independently-spirited light comedies centering on twenty / thirty – something NYC dwellers.

I have already referenced the lovely black and white cinematography, but what is equally lovely is WHAT is being shot. I do not know if there is ever a way to make NYC and surrounding areas look so pretty.

I_Love_New_York #THATISALL

Check out the trailer below:

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* I caught this film as a sneak preview a couple of weeks ago at the Rooftop Film Festival (I will be doing a feature piece later on in the week).

NYFF 52 in the Rearview: While We’re Young (2014)

Frances Ha (2013)