When writer-director Noah Baumbach first came on the scene, I associated him with Whit Stillman (this is a very high compliment). Sure, the Chris Eigeman connection helped, but both seemed to be making movies that were of a similar vein.
Baumbach’s “Kicking and Screaming” (1995) ranks very highly on a lot of people’s lists among favorite movies (including mine). Discounting his next movie — “Highball,” which was made as a lark — Baumbach followed it up with “Mr. Jealousy” (1997), which while not universally loved, certainly has its admirers (me again).
After “Mr. Jealousy,” however, Bambauch didn’t make another movie until 2005’s “The Squid and the Whale,” which was pretty far removed from what he had done before. And he followed that up in 2007 with “Margot at the Wedding” — another departure. Both were films that I admired, but didn’t exactly enjoy.
With his new movie, Bambauch looks to be makng a movie that falls somewhere in the middle of the first two movies — “Highball” excluded — and his most recent two movies. In fact, to me, “Greenberg” looks at first glance to be in the Nick Hornby mold (another compliment and probably the correct area for Baumbach to be mining at this point in his career).
Whatever it turns out to be, the trailer at least has me interested. (And as an aside, the choice of LCD Soundsystem for the trailer is perfect. Plus, for you trivia buffs, James Murphy appears in the video on the left side of the screen at the party soon after the music starts.)
“Greenberg” — which stars Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans and Jennifer Jason Leigh — is slated to receive a limited release starting March 12, 2010.
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It looks fairly decent.
A fellow Whit Stillman fan – I love it.