The Meyerowitz Stories

Ah yes, family dysfunctional. Everyone has it, and frankly its an over mined sub genre in film. With entries often pushing melodrama and character arcs to neat, organised catharsis, it has become as predictable as bad romantic comedies. Which is why i'm so happy to report that 'The Meyerowitz Stories' is one of the best dramedies I've seen all year! 

Told through various character perspectives in no real cinematic structure, there's a naturalism to the style. A humbleness that revels in subtleties rather than climatic overtures. And by god is it refreshing. There isn't a drop of pretension to be found in the film, no barriers between you and the characters, who are all lovingly played by an assured, veteran cast. 

Adam Sandler is a standout in what is already an outstanding ensemble. This is a performance quite different from what you might expect. It isn't a retread of Punch Drunk Love, or a dramatic overhaul of his past characters either. He instead lends a striking amount of humanity to Danny, which can be said of the entire cast. But Ben Stiller in particular deserves a shout out. I've never quite seen him pull off drama this straight faced and earnest before, and like most of the film, the sporadic dramatic beats are interspersed throughout his performance. 

Yeah i cant quite say enough nice things about 'The Meyerowitz Stories'. This was a joy to watch.So i'll just say this, if you love Wes Anderson films, in particular 'The Royal Tenenbaums' this is an easy recommend. And while it lacks the formalism and ridiculously cinematic glory of Anderson's style, there is far more humanity is Noah Baumbach straight faced approach. Meyerowitz Stories may not provide anything radically new, but it provides a great entry in the tired list of dysfunctional comedies, along with some of the year's best performances.

One reviewer said it was Manhattan and a Jewish family, that covered it. My family is not from Manhattan nor is it Jewish and I saw us in this movie. It's a mirror of families everywhere and every color in every place. We all have "that" father/grandfather, "that" mother/stepmother, "that" sibling. Or cousin or uncle or or or. We all know that family and have lived with someone like them. It was nice to see that We are NOT alone!!

A treat of a movie! Packs an emotional punch, laugh out loud funny at times but sad at every turn, a movie that strikes a realistic tone in the presentation of family conflicts. Reminded me a lot of Little Miss Sunshine. The ensemble cast was fantastic - Adam Sandler a revelation. Presented as a series of connected short stories focusing on different members of the family I was left very involved and wanting more. It's not often I finish a movie wishing they'd given us another half hour.

It's a very good movie: story, atmosphere, characters, lines, actors of course. As I'm italian, I can't tell why. But you can read what wrote who liked it, and trust them. Or trust who didn't. But remember that we choose to like or unlike, so it's too easy (and childish) write things like "the worst", "two hours I'll never get back" or other stupid unoriginal but thinking to be original stuff. We have to dive into movies. They are an escape from serie, like healthy food. If you prefer fast or sugar food, you're welcome. But save your time from poisoning our water. We are swimming.

This film tells the story of an artist father and his three estranged children, who are reunited under imperfect circumstances.

"The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)" it's unexpectedly good film. The characters stand out and make you care about them. The father is pervasively an unsympathetic man, and it is easy to see why he does not get along with his children. The three children are all interesting, and have baggage of their own. It is a captivating drama, and it is even more refreshing to see both Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller together in a good drama.