The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
An estranged family gathers together in New York for an event celebrating the artistic work of their father.
Director:
Noah BaumbachWriter:
Noah BaumbachStars:
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
13 October 2017 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) See more »Company Credits
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1Did You Know?
Trivia
In an interview at the Cannes Film Festival, Adam Sandler stated that he enjoyed working on the movie and with Noah Baumbach so much, that he'd do another project with Baumbach as soon as he offered it to him. See more »Connections
Features The Awful Truth (1937)
Of the many human characteristics keenly observed in “The Meyerowitz
Stories (New and Selected),” the most powerful is the lonely sense of
being the only something in one’s family. The only failure, the only daughter, the only one
with no artistic talent—these are traits that, whether incontrovertible
or questionable, are clutched like well-earned badges of honor by the
Meyerowitz brood. The siblings fling their Purple Hearts with reckless
abandon, sometimes to curry favor and other times to wound. These
battles play out for the benefit of a father who, as the children should
know by now, is too self-absorbed to really take notice. But a win, no
matter how Pyrrhic, is still a win. In the never-ending battle of the
sibling, the stats matter.
It’s
no wonder Harold’s children have issues. We first meet Danny, who is
trying to find a parking space in the no-parking wonderland that is the
East Village. Danny’s college-age daughter Eliza (Grace van Patten) has
accompanied him on this visit to her grandparents’ house. This
father-daughter relationship is far cozier than the one Jean has with
Harold; Danny seems to be a self-consciously less antagonistic parent.
The duo bond over a song on the radio and commiserate about the
obnoxious New York drivers whose impatience keep wrecking Danny’s
parking opportunities. Later, we’ll see that Eliza also has a good
relationship with her uncle and especially her aunt.
Danny’s
opening vignette sets the pattern for how “The Meyerowitz Stories” will
operate. A title card appears, then a scene builds to a crescendo before
abruptly being cut off by another segment. Some of the cuts are
hilariously rendered, others feel like interruptions in one’s train of
thought. But the gimmick is always well-executed and suggests that we’re
privy to several interconnected short stories being told to us by
writer/director Noah Baumbach.
We
learn that Harold has had some modicum of success as a sculptor, though
lately he hasn’t been as prolific as he was in his youth. Though a
self-proclaimed failure, Danny appears to be the only one of his
children who inherited some form of artistic creativity. He’s a
songwriter who plays piano. Danny sings two songs written by Sandler,
Baumbach and Randy Newman,
who also provides the score. One of the songs is a lovely ditty about
the relationship between Danny and Eliza. The other pokes fun at a faux
pas Harold committed at one of his art shows. Coincidentally, Harold’s
old university wants to put on a show featuring his sculptures—a move
championed by Danny—but Harold doesn’t want to share the spotlight.
After introducing Danny and briefly highlighting his struggles with
Harold, “The Meyerowitz Stories” pivots to Danny’s half-brother,
Matthew. He’s only mentioned in passing in Danny’s first vignette, and
he gets his own set of scenes with Harold before the film merges their
plotlines. Unlike Danny, Matthew was no good at anything arty and
instead has become a very powerful, very successful financial planner.
Matthew ran for the shores of Los Angeles as soon as he could, and
didn’t look back. When “The Meyerowitz Stories” takes Harold temporarily
out of the picture due to a health scare, a deeper antagonism is
revealed between Matthew and Danny. Matthew wants to sell Harold’s
current house, a house Danny is attached to despite the fact he did not
grow up there. Danny is angry at his brother for leaving.
As the
two battle for control and the audience’s sympathy, Baumbach reveals
several symbolic comparisons between the two men: Danny has a bum leg
but Matthew’s neuroses are just as crippling. Matthew is rich and
miserable while Danny is a failure but can at least find a ray of
sunshine in his daughter. Eventually, the brothers come to blows in a
wrestling match that’s so garish and true-to-life it will immediately
conjure up memories for any guy who has a brother.
Observing all
this, and occasionally contributing to the story, is Jean. The way “The
Meyerowitz Stories” often demotes its funniest character to the sideline
is a calculated, though not always successful, attempt at portraying
Jean’s odd-man-out status as the only daughter in the Meyerowitz clan.
She and Emma Thompson,
as Harold’s hippie-ish drunk of a fourth wife, get some of the biggest
laughs but still feel underutilized. Baumbach almost makes it up to
Marvel when Jean finally gets her own title card and story, the result
of which pulls the siblings together in an act of childish mischief
disguised as revenge. It’s not enough, however; Marvel is so good in the
role that one longs for a lot more of her.
Unlike his prior
work, Baumbach is surprisingly humane here. He beats up on his
characters, but he also gives them a salve to help heal the wounds. His
charity extends to minor characters like Harold’s more successful rival (Judd Hirsch in an endearing cameo) and Harold’s first wife, (Candice Bergen,
who gets a great monologue). Baumbach has also finally written a role
for Stiller that doesn’t inspire outright hatred. But “The Meyerowitz
Stories” shockingly belongs to Sandler, who is absolutely fantastic.
Sandler finds the perfect line between tragedy and comedy for Danny.
He still does his hollering angry man-child shtick, but here it stems
organically from the character and is never used as a comedic crutch.
Additionally, he shades his performance with subtleties both physical
and verbal. Some of his best moments involve just a facial gesture or a
well-placed pause. His interactions with the other characters are rife
with complex emotions unlike any he’s played before. Exasperation, joy
and forgiveness flow through him in perfectly calibrated measures. It’s a
rich, surprising performance.
With its often overwhelming
familiarity, the subgenre of dysfunctional family dramedies has negated
Tolstoy’s notion that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
While “The Meyerowitz Stories” is yet another one of these movies, it
does manage to circumvent some of the more predictable clichés. It also
manages to succeed when it occasionally succumbs to them. This is one of
the year’s best movies.
FINAL RATING: 9/10 for the genre and also incredible 9/10 overall.
Thanks for reading and have fun this really great movie.
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