Greenberg
Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller), single, fortyish and at a crossroads in his life, finds himself in Los Angeles, house-sitting for six weeks for his more successful/married-with-children brother. In search of a place to restart his life, Greenberg tries to reconnect with old friends including his former bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans). But old friends aren't necessarily still best friends, and Greenberg soon finds himself spending more and more time with his brother's personal assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring singer and also something of a lost soul. Despite his best attempts not to be drawn in, Greenberg and Florence manage to forge a connection, and Greenberg realizes he may at last have found a reason to be happy. Critics rave, "Greenberg has a soul, a heart and a sense of humour." (Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com)
Member Reviews
Give it a chance - zarusoba
"This movie isn't for everyone" is a caveat I hate (because what movie is?), but it's entirely probable that Greenberg, the character and the movie, will be too prickly and too confrontational for most. For me, it was a wholly honest, entertaining and worthwhile film. It is a motif of the new century to have a protagonist confront his/her regrets and failures as mid-life stares them in the wrinkling face and still find even a modicum of happiness and peace. Many a good movie has come from it: Sideways, Up in the Air, About Schmidt, to name a few, but there's nothing mannered or twee or condescending about Greenberg. It's quiet in its powerful, subtle in its triumphs, and precise in its emotions. It really stays with you.
Can I just take a minute to talk about Greta Gerwig? She's pretty astonishing in the film, and its worth a watch just for her performance. Stiller's great as well--he's an underrated performer who's really wasted in most other things, which is a tragedy, since he does it to himself. There's a movie there. It's probably a lot like Greenberg.WORST. MOVIE. EVER. - TBone077
Luckily my DVD player had an "off" button, or else I would have had to hang myself to escape this horrible mess of a movie. The characters had no life to them, the story was dull, and the filmography looked right out of a 1980's TV movie. Don't waste your time with this one... I regret that I did.Greenberg - djfunkybob
This is a solid film about, Greenberg (played by Stiller), a middle-aged man struggling with a life less fulfilled than was expected or aspired to. I can guarantee that appreciation for this offbeat drama hinges on incorrect preconceived notions of Stiller as the requisite funnyman in all his films (similar to how Sandler was received in Punch-drunk Love) as opposed to a drama about a man confronting mental illness. While Stiller’s performance was strong, his co-star Gerwig (who played Greenberg's off-again, on-again love interest) was outstanding in her first major starring role to the point she reminded me of some of her absolute finest contemporaries, Winslet and Williams. The house party scene and the ensuing escape to Australia were brilliant as it showed how difficult it was for Greenberg to accept his lost youth. I loved the soundtrack including some lost pop classics and a well-suited, cutting edge score.
Member Reviews
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Give it a chance - zarusoba
"This movie isn't for everyone" is a caveat I hate (because what movie is?), but it's entirely probable that Greenberg, the character and the movie, will be too prickly and too confrontational for most. For me, it was a wholly honest, entertaining and worthwhile ...WORST. MOVIE. EVER. - TBone077
Luckily my DVD player had an "off" button, or else I would have had to hang myself to escape this horrible mess of a movie. The characters had no life to them, the story was dull, and the filmography looked right out of a 1980's TV movie. Don't waste your ...Greenberg - djfunkybob
This is a solid film about, Greenberg (played by Stiller), a middle-aged man struggling with a life less fulfilled than was expected or aspired to. I can guarantee that appreciation for this offbeat drama hinges on incorrect preconceived notions of Stiller ...