Greenberg receives a letter of approval and praise

Greenberg is a movie that gleams with unimaginable talent from beginning to end. Whether it is from the stellar acting abilities of Ben Stiller or Greta Gerwig to the spectacular writing of Noah Baumbach.

It brings to life characters that are not only well written, but also extremely developed and relatable. It feels as though every single character within the movie is a living, breathing person.

Greenberg initially introduces the audience to Florence Marr (Gerwig), a 25-year-old young woman who is an aspiring singer by night and personal assistant to the Greenberg family by day. She spends each and every day waiting on hand and foot to the family while also trying to figure out her place in the world.

While Phillip Greenberg, his wife and children go off to an extended vacation, he leaves his brother Roger (Stiller) in charge of his sprawling Hollywood Hills home. Roger is single man in his 40s who can be described only as eccentric and weird.

According to conventional means, he spends his free time writing letters of complaint to various companies and businesses he has experienced trouble with. After a once-in-a-lifetime chance as a musician was lost, Roger moved to New York City to be a carpenter.

Prior to house sitting for his brother, the audience finds out that Roger had recently been released from a mental hospital after experiencing a “breakdown” of some sort, somewhat explaining his unusual behavior.

During the course of the movie, Roger tries to reconnect with friends from his past, like former band mate Ivan (Rhys Ifans) and former girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh), while trying to get used to a new city and trying to come to grips with his past.

Described as a “coming of age story for 40-year-olds” by Ifans, Greenberg develops greatly as it goes along. Soon enough, Florence and Roger begin to show affection to each other.

Except Roger’s eagerness to push her away at every chance given, complicates the matter. While at first the audience may look at Roger with disdain, they soon come to realize why exactly Roger is so shy to embrace a relationship.

Baumbach’s screenplay is nothing short of outstanding, especially when the characters are fleshed out. Every single character seems to be dynamic in nature and each character’s voice is a uniquze yet powerful experience.

The most impressive part of the screenplay is the awkward love story that comes about between Roger and Florence. While it is weird and uncomfortable at times, it never seems all too foreign for the audience.

The acting within the movie is top-notch, with Stiller giving one of his best performances. Although some may come into the theatre expecting heavy laughs like those in Zoolander and Dodgeball, Stiller definitely takes a serious attitude when playing Roger.

“I just felt more and more of a connection with him and what he is going through and his plight. I felt more and more of [that] he was sort of a hero in a way, because he was facing his fears and trying to do the best he could [in] a very human way,” Stiller said in a recent interview with The Pace Press.

The chemistry between Stiller and Gerwig’s characters was also marvelous, thanks, in large part, to Baumbach’s writing abilities.

On the subject of Baumbach’s writing, Gerwig said, “There was no improvisation. There weren’t even word changes.

“If you got a word wrong, if an article was wrong, it was so specific, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Noah writes very rhythmically. Every scene has a rhythm the way a play would have a rhythm.”

While seemingly strict, it made for a performance that was significant and extremely tight; once it got a hold over the audience, it never let go, making the audience really wanting to know if the distinctive love between Florence and Roger would work out.

Ifans’ role as Ivan brings a nice balance to Roger’s unconventional attitude, almost portraying a version of Roger if he had laid back, gotten married, and settled down.

“I think the breaking point or the malfunction of these two guys… is they can only converse or communicate in the language that they used as students… they can only talk in ‘band language’ or band vernacular and that vernacular doesn’t allow them, doesn’t have the vocabulary or the nuances in it to discuss adult matters,” Ifan said.

The film uses music throughout its entirety during some integral points. Combining select songs from bands like Duran Duran, The Sonics and Albert Hammond, among others. This film also featured the debut film score of James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and DFA Records fame. The characters’ almost innate use of music to express themselves to others made the soundtrack essential to the movie.

“James and I hit it off immediately, and coincidentally he’d planned to record his new record in L.A. while we were shooting. So he was around, on the set, in the movie, watching dailies. His songs act as another voice in the movie,” Baumbauch said.

Greenberg is a film that deserves its fair share of recognition. Whether it is the superb acting abilities of the cast or the astonishing detail that is found in the writing, the movie is an astonishing look into the lives of these perfectly understood characters. Greenberg will release in theatres on March 26.