Eagerly anticipating this week ... (5-24)

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6/28/2016

Greenberg (2010) - Baumbach's uniquely downbeat LA-romance depressant



+ Best Los Angeles Movie of the Year

Ben Stiller gets a change of pace as Noah Baumbach's Greenberg

Roger Greenberg is in a curious phase in his life while house-sitting for his brother's family in Hollywood and looking after their dog Mahler: Following a nervous breakdown, he attempts to do nothing.

Greenberg is the 6th feature from great New Yorker writer-director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale (2005)). He developed the story for the film with Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Anniversary Party (2001)), who also stars in it.
The film inspires quite a few laughs; it has some neat scenes and good lines, but it is also incredibly depressing. And unromantic. It works out a space for itself of a kind of hideous realism that's quite rare, which is fascinating but may also be hard to really like.

Related posts:


Noah BaumbachWhile We're Young (2014) - Baumbach offers another observant, clever downer
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2012 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Frances Ha (2012) or, Growing Older Ain't Easy
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess


Noah Baumbach directing Ben Stiller in his Greenberg


Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 25 mil. $
Box office: 6.1 mil. $
= Mega-flop
[Greenberg premiered February 14 (Berlin International Film Festival) and runs 107 minutes. It was shot in and around March 2009. Ben Stiller contracted Joaquin Phoenix to play the part of Ivan, the part ultimately played by Rhys Ifans, recorded in Casey Affleck and Phoenix's weird-awful documentary I'm Still Here. The film opened in just 3 theaters to a 118k $ opening weekend (a strong 39k $ screen average), but peaking in just 186 theaters in North America, where it grossed 4.2 mil. $ (68. % of the total gross). Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Russia and the UK, both with 0.4 mil. $ (6.6 %). The film's terrible performance was made catastrophic by the fact that the film was made on an overly high budget. Roger Ebert awarded the film 3½ stars, equal to 5 hearts here. It was shown in competition in Berlin and was nominated for 4 Independent Spirit awards. Greenberg is certified fresh at 75 % with a 6.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Greenberg?

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