Quick Movie Review: Greenberg (2010)

Greenberg (2010)

Bottomline: A moment or two of insight and a chuckle here or there but, overall, is a self-absorbed cure for insomnia.

A Recommendations Instead of This Movie: Anything directed by Thomas McCarthy. Much better character studies with much better direction, much better storylines, much better acting, much better everything.

Where Can I See This Movie? It is available for rent on DVD and it has been making the rounds on the movie channels.

QMR Opinion: It happens to me all the time. I hear a critic or two pontificate about a small indie film and I am compelled to see it. Such is the case with Greenberg. Ben Stiller plays Roger Greenberg who gets out of a stint in a mental institution in New York and comes to housesit for his brother in Los Angeles. Greta Gerwig plays Florence, who is the Greenberg's personal assistant. In the absence of his brother, Roger begins calling on Florence and there quickly develops a sexual relationship. You keep watching this movie waiting on something to happen -- anything. There are contrived "emotional" scenes between Roger and his friends, Roger and his ex-girlfriend, Roger and Florence, and Roger and the dog. Then these are punctuated by contrived "anger" scenes where Roger loses his temper and treats everyone like crap. Noah Baumback directed this film and the only other film of his I've seen is The Squid and the Whale (2005), which I hated. There are some lighter moments -- especially when Roger writes his letters of complaint, and the best scene of the whole film occurs when his brother's college-age daughter throws a big party and Roger gives his opinion about "kids today." Greenberg is a classic example of the self-indulgent trap that a lot of indie character studies find themselves in. At some point, you just want some zombies to bust in a eat somebody's brains.