User reviews

This movie is unequivocally carried by its stellar acting performance from its leads. Throughout the movie, you will feel the emotions of the actors and actresses on the screen and what they are going through. And the story itself does a good job at trying not to paint a black and white picture of a divorce instead making it a grey affair where both the man and the woman are in some part in fault. This is one of 2019s best acting and you need to see it just for that.

It is refreshing to see a film that can both warmly respect and ruthlessly dissect the institution of marriage. While every marriage is unique, there are universal scenarios that can signal their demise. Two of these are central to Marriage Story (2019): the film forensically examines what happens when one partner's ego swallows another, then shows the destructive force that is unleashed when lawyers come between otherwise still-caring partners.

The storyline is simple, linear, and dialogue-heavy. In the opening minutes we see respected theatre director Charlie (Adam Driver) and his increasingly successful actress wife Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) in the middle of a marital mediation session. He is opening a new play on Broadway while she will be taking their young son to Los Angeles to star in a TV pilot. The session stalls despite their obvious regard for each other and their commitment to avoid lawyers in a marriage split.

Classic marital tension lines become palpably clear. Charlie and Nicole met when he was a high-profile director and she a theatre novice, and this imbalance of egos remain embedded in all aspects of their relationship. Although a loving father, the self-absorbed Charlie had an affair which is now being weaponised as she asserts her identity and needs. She decides to engage a lawyer forcing him to follow suit or lose custody of their young son; the communication drawbridge is pulled up as the lawyers amplify every marital issue into a war cry on an ever more blood-splattered battlefield.

Nothing new here, you might say, except for two bright lights in a dark place: Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. He is perfect in playing the broad faced deer-in-the-spotlight hapless male, confused over his marital and parental mess-ups...but he sings a beautiful song. She is brilliant in playing a wife no longer willing to be invisible despite still loving the man she married. An ensemble of lawyers include a benignly caring advisor (Alan Alda) and ruthless warriors who take no prisoners (Laura Dern and Ray Liotta).

You don't need to be a divorce voyeur to find this well-trodden story highly absorbing, mostly because the two stars make it hard to take sides. Charlie's weaknesses are not unforgiveable and his love for his son and wife continue. Nicole has a right to her own independent future but still feels strongly about him. If lawyers were not involved, things could be very different. Marriage Story is an insightful, witty, and sad portrait of how easily a marital fairytale can turn to a nightmare.

If you want a feel-good flick, I strongly advise you to reconsider watching "Marriage Story". I am NOT saying it's a bad film, in fact, it's amazingly good. But it's also amazingly realistic....and painful to watch due to the subject matter.

The story is an ultra-realistic story about a marriage that is dissolving...and it's painful because the viewer really grows to like Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson). Like real life, neither character is totally bad and you understand both of their positions during the divorce....but it also is very ugly and awful to see what happens when lawyers get involved. Instead of the amicable divorce they both originally agreed to, it soon becomes ugly....and the pair and their devilish lawyers begin going at each other like pitbulls on a side of beef! Again...this is NOT a criticism...it's realistic and heart-wrenching to watch. I found myself crying during some of the ugliest scenes....and I am sure I wasn't alone in the theater!

Overall, you see Johansson and Driver put on some amazing performances....so amazing that I'd be shocked if they aren't at least Oscar-nominated for this film. Well done in every way...and one of the better movies of 2019.

I didn't expect this to mirror how my ex wife and I had to go through the stages of divorce so accurately. My son was only 2 when we were divorced and all of the ups and downs and petty fights and anger that we had for each other was exhausting but we went through it all just to fight for him, who we both love more than anything. We said horrible things to each other we can never take back but we didn't really mean and we both eventually found a way to make it work for him and to protect him from the ugliness. We made it through to the other side and have a good relationship now and work as a team to raise him with love and support but it was a long road out of hell to get there. This movie portrayed that in a way I would never have expected. It made me cry numerous times thinking of how hopeless and angry I was for so long and in that I feel like this movie deserves every accolade it gets. It felt genuine and painful but with hope at the end. It's real and powerful.

Surely this must have drawn heavily from writer/director Baumbach's own experiences. He was married to Jennifer Jason Leigh and they have one son, plus before they divorced in 2013 he began a relationship with Greta Gerwig in 2011. So he probably lived much of what is depicted here.

The two principals, Adam Driver as Brooklyn stage director Charlie Barber and Scarlett Johansson as actress Nicole Barber, are superb in their roles. While it seemed like they were happily married for 10-odd years, with an 8-yr-old son, Nicole began to more and more feel that her own desires were being ignored while as a married couple they always did what Charlie wanted. When she gets an opportunity to take a TV role in Los Angeles she also decides that it is the right time for the two of them to split up. Charlie is blindsided.

It is often a hard story to watch because even to the end it is clear that, in spite of the required animosities during divorce proceedings, Nicole and Charlie have a bond and care deeply for each other.

My wife and I (both having gone through divorces of our own years ago) watched this on DVD from our public library.

Absolutely heartbreaking. I loved every minute of it.

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson give the best performances of their careers. They are so damn good here.

Great writing and direction. A beautiful and depressing film.

Really good movie, great acting, but one of the most depressing and realistic movies I've ever seen. This movie made feel like I don't want to have any relationship ever . This is a horror movie about the truth !

No one can hate you as strongly as someone who loves you deeply. A grown-up Baumbach gives us a Kramer vs Kramer for the 21st century, his personal best film, & the best of the 2019. Everything about it is perfection. Driver & Johansson are heartbreaking & phenomenal, though with writing this perfect, it'd be hard to imagine anyone really screwing it up. It's a perfect mixture of real & beautifully heightened, quintessential Baumbach.

The movie is well done and played. It was nice to watch but I was surprised that so many people see this as a masterpiece. In my opinion there is nothing special, nothing memorable. I've seen dozens of such films before.

Marriage Story directed by Noah Baumbach is an extremely well observed portrayal of two people who once loved each other and are now going through the painfull and ugly process of separation and divorce with a son torn between them.

Thanks to the great script this process is shown in an impartial way where both sides are relatable. The acting by Driver and Johansson is phenomenal and arguably the best i have seen this year. They are nailing the quiet moments as well as the loud.

I only had some minor issues with the movie. I think some of the side characters like Charlies lawyer and some of the people working at the theater are stereotyped. Also the humor felt sometimes forced and out of place.

Marriage Story is a pretty great movie and one of the best of 2019. If Ingmar Bergman is too bleak for you and Woody Allen too quirky, this movie sits right between them and you will love it.

When I first saw the trailer for this film it brought tears to my eyes. It seemed to me like it was going to be a roller coaster of emotions, and I really expected it to be one of the best films of the year. Don't get me wrong, it is by no means a bad movie. The acting is without a doubt some of the best that I have seen, and I believe that both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson deserve Oscar nominations for how well they did in the film. Unfortunately, I personally was not all that affected by their emotional performances, and had a lot of trouble connecting with their characters. I think older audiences, as well as anyone who has been through a divorce will connect with the film a lot more than I did. That was really my big problem with the film, apart from their child being extremely annoying at times. Other than that, the film is very well made, I did not get bored at any point, although I think it could have been 10 minutes shorter. If it were not for the fact that I felt no attachment to the characters, I would likely give this film a much higher review, likely an 8 or a 9, but I just really wasn't feeling it. Still, definitely a great film in every other regard, and I am likely in the minority about how I felt about the characters, so I would recommend giving it a watch so you can form your own opinion on it.

I bursted out laughing just to burst out into tears a scene later. And so on. It broke my heart into pieces and then healed it. Noah Baumbach shows his screenwriting genius once again, whilst every single piece of acting from leading Driver and Johansson and from all the supporting actors is absolutely impeccable.

2020 Oscar winner ladies and gentlemen, that's what I hope for

I was glad to catch this film at the Virginia Film Festival last weekend. Baumbach's semi-autobiographical film offers a realistic glimpse into a divorce. His writing was also phenomenal, as I found every scene vital to the plot. The script was effectively heart-wrenching and was carried by two awesome leads, at their best. Although the movie was heart-wrenching, there were also other moments when Baumbach offers the audience a laugh, while drawing them back to vulnerabilities of the main characters. The cast was magnificent. Apart from the powerful performances by Driver and Johansson, the audience is able to find depth within each of the supporting characters.

Noah Baumbach's movies have often been hit or miss, but Marriage Story does feel different as it's perhaps as personal of a story as he's ever done or will do. Beautifully acted and superbly written, you can make the case that this is one of the best films of the year & may win the big prize in February. But perhaps its most impressive accomplishment was being relatable for people who've never been in a similar situation. But Baumbach's script deals with very human issues that create a film that feels like it has real stakes. It doesn't feel Hollywood-ized even though it's based on a famous Hollywood couple. Instant recommendation from me.

9.0/10

Good script, ok story, a bit long for the plot. The couples should have had these talks before they got a child, since thats what me and my wife had. Talk about evrtything in your relationship and your marriage will never come to this end. Since I didn't learn anything or had a revelation the movie doesn't deserve more than a 7 rating. Great acting though.

The movie the attorneys didn't want to be made.

In which a loving but separating couple (played by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson) blow any possibility of a harmonious separation by bringing in their legal aides.

It's a sad old movie in which the couple's divorce seesaws from still best friends to raging monsters. Their natural inclination seems to favour behaviour at the friendlier end of the spectrum, but by employing teams of attorneys (at great cost), whose only interests are fiscal and competitive, any of the harmony that remains between Driver and Johansson is cruelly exposed and used as a weakness.

In the hands of a director less skilled than Noah Baumbach (Margot at the Wedding, Frances Ha) we could easily have ended up with either a black comedy or an overwrought drama, but this finds a line between the two, by steering a complex and subtle, and lengthy, dialogue (he is the writer) that does not allow the viewer to particularly side with either protagonist - both have their faults and their virtues - but it's the actions of their attorneys that bring out the worst, not the best, in them.

That said my wife and I both fell for Driver's side of the story (and only found out afterwards that the movie is based on BaunBach's own experience of divorcing Jennifer Jason Leigh, so maybe it's not quite as agnostic as we thought.

It's a slow build, with several long monologues that just finish, mostly, before they outstay their welcomes.

But there are also moments of humour. The visit of a social worker is laugh out loud funny and the rehearsal scene where Johansson prepares her terrified sister to hand over the divorce papers is likewise an absolute comic joy.

But overall it's both deeply personal and very affecting at times, more than once I was reaching for the Kleenex, and part of that is down to the casting and the highly personal cinematography that shows off the two leads at their most naked (emotionally) and vulnerable with long, lingering close ups on each of them. That's one reason that the big screen is always better than the TV for feature films. Like The Irishman, though, this is a Netflix original and will not be on the big screen for long.

Driver is at the top of his game and that means there are three serious Oscar best actor contenders this year - himself, De Niro and Phoenix. All three would win in any average year. Driver's one take performance of Stephen Sondheim's "Being Alive" at a piano bar is a real highlight and is about a man';s lack of commitment. It's an excellent counterpoint to Randy Newman's typically accomplished, and in parts quite jaunty, score.

Johannson puts in a career-best shift. Not only is his beauty put to one side . No make up and often unflattering close ups, but she acts her socks off.

Also of great note is laura Dern's performance as her lawyer and a cameo role for a sprightly, 83 year old, Alan Alda.

It's a slow burn but it comes highly recommended from me (and my wife). Just go see it in the cinema.

My Review - Marriage Story My Rating 6.5

It's disappointing when I'm a fan of the main star Scarlett Johansson and I'm not rubbishing her portrayal of Nicole a sulky pouty ,irritating and self obsessed actress . Nicole want out and is not the slightest bit interested in trying to save her fading marriage even though it seemed quite obvious to me that the couple still were attracted and somewhat affectionate to each other.

Then we have Adam Driver as the husband Charlie who strayed once according to Nicole ,although this is never really established it just seems that Nicole thinks she's invisible to him and not valued while it's clear if it wasn't for Charlie's success as a stage director she wouldn't have a stage career at all.

Why am I even trying to explain 2 hours 17minutes of a tedious couple screaming ,yelling and outdoing each other's accusations and revisiting each bump and grind in their tedious relationship. I felt so sorry for their young son Henry and hope his Dad got custody.

The acting is good especially Laura Dean as Nora Fanshaw the self interested crass Hollywood divorce lawyer who encourages Nicole to go for broke and Ray Liotta as Jay Marotta the even more greedy New York lawyer Charlie ,who never wanted to go through court and nasty legal battles engages on his behalf when his wife decides the opposite.

Another Netflix one month Cinema release the film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 29 2019 and began a limited theatrical release on November 6 and exactly one month later December 6 (to qualify for Awards season) began digital streaming on Netflix to great critical acclaim but not from me .

I much prefer a far better film on the subject of a marriage breakup the brilliant 1979 Kramer Vs. Kramer starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep it had style substance and two much more interesting characters than Marriage Story and told their story in 1hour and 45 minutes.

The mother's lawyer scene and the fight scene are absolutely incredible! If you are thinking of divorce, you must wach this film first.

Worthy of watching once, but never again. Great acting, but nothing new to see here. As overrated as Kramer vs Kramer as a messy divorce story.

I watched this film based on all the outstanding reviews and the high average rating of 8,0 and have to admit I was a quite disappointed.

Many lengthy and unnecessarily long winded parts combined with a rather plain storyline ruined my expectations.

Although Johanson and Driver are generally two great actors, they failed to persuade me in this one ...

Would not recommend watching the movie.

The movie is brutaly honest and feels brutaly real. I don't condone everything being said or done. By neither of the two main characters. But motivations are clear and the story is really well told. The drama unfolds and it does not seem to be made up, rather really slow burning and quite reasonable (well as reasonable as some of the things can be).

Having said all that, the performances really are something. Both leads have their say and while we seem to stay focused on the man mostly, both have winning arguments. As I already have suggested in my summary line, this can be viewed as a modern day Kramer vs. Kramer movie. Not sure if that is what they set out to do or thought of, but I only mean it in the best possible way. This really brings home certain things, even if you never lived them