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Greenberg Review

Movies.com Critics

4.0

Dave White Profile

"Hurt people hurt people." Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 4.0
    76

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Generally favorable reviews
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 50

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey

    Any comic relief it affords comes with such an undertow of repressed emotions and displaced anger that it all starts to feel more depressing than dramatic.

    Read Full Review

  • 70

    out of 100

    Variety Todd McCarthy

    As a study of stasis and of people conscious of not living the lives they had imagined for themselves, the picture offers a bracing undertow of seriousness beneath the deceptively casual, dramatically offhand surface.

    Read Full Review

  • 70

    out of 100

    The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

    While winning no points for originality, Baumbach and his co-conspirator in the script, Jennifer Jason Leigh -- have created an all-too-convincing portrait of a 40-year-old man in emotional freefall.

    Read Full Review

  • 83

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Baumbach's movies are addictive dispatches from a genteel jungle of white privilege, where highly educated people behave badly. I can't take my eyes off the exotic wildlife.

    Read Full Review

  • 88

    out of 100

    USA Today Claudia Puig

    Powerfully honest, insightful and poignant.

    Read Full Review

  • 88

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    I have a weakness for actresses like Greta Gerwig. She looks reasonable and approachable.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    The New York Times A.O. Scott

    It is the funniest and saddest movie Mr. Baumbach has made so far, and also the riskiest.

    Read Full Review

  • See all Greenberg reviews at Metacritic.com

For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 17+

Unhealthy relationship is focus of darkly funny adult drama.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this darkly comedic drama is not meant for kids. Director Noah Baumbach, as in his other films, stakes his film firmly in messy, sometimes caustic, emotional terrain -- one character has just been discharged from a mental hospital, another gets an abortion -- that may be too mature for most teens. The film's protagonist (Ben Stiller) is a malcontent who rails against injustices small and large -- especially small. Swearing (everything from “asshole” to “dick” to “f--k”) and insults are part of his usual patter. His love interest endures continuous emotional battering, and comes back for more. There’s also a fairly graphic oral sex scene, and a scene where an adult does cocaine with college students.

  • Families can talk about Roger: Why is he the way he is and what does he gain by being that grumpy? What are the costs?
  • What attracts Roger and Florence to each other? Is it a believable coupling? Is it healthy? Is it typical of Hollywood movies?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: Even the most cynical of men appears to be redeemable by -- what else? -- love. That’s the good and bad of the film, because he’s downright nasty to the woman, and yet she embraces him, literally and emotionally, over and over again so that it’s almost a masochistic exercise.

  • rolemodels true0

    Role models: Neither of the main characters is particularly stable, but one is compassionate and caring, to a fault. And the other takes a while to see the value in human interaction, but eventually comes around.

What to watch for
  • violence false1

    Violence: A character spews venom out of the blue, so his rage hits hard sometimes. Some expletive-riddled shouting matches.

  • sex false4

    Sex: A man performs oral sex on a woman; the scene is shot from afar, so no body parts are exposed. A woman’s breast can be glimpsed in the shadows briefly. Another exchanges sexual banter with a much older man. A couple has sex on a couch; no genitals shown.

  • language false4

    Language: Everything from “damn” to “bitch” to “f--k” -- and plenty of it. Also, a few uses of "God" and "Jesus" as exclamations.

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Social drinking; a forty-something man helps host a party for college students, and everyone is pretty much buzzed or sloshed. Some characters snort cocaine at a party.

Fan Reviews provided by

3

MY PERSONAL OPINION IS NO....... by lovestalentmoviefan
.....but that is because I don't like this type of movie. If this is your taste, Stiller does a marvelous job of instilling real detest. His neuroses just plain offend everybody,and he doesn't care. Constantly mistreating love interest. I think the girl is relatable to lots of normal,not very sure of themselves type women. Rhys Ifans was very good in a small role. Pretty dark,depressing.....not sure what to feel. Went immediately after to another movie just to get the taste out of my head. Need to be smart,able to tolerate thoughts of anxiety on middle age and where you're at. Made me anxious and sad.sex and nudity.

5

My new favorite Noah Baumbach flick by namtastic
But I'll admit, it's not for everyone. Please keep in mind: this is a character study. It's a unintentional-romance where the humor exists within a stronger drama, and if you can accept the two leads' vulnerabilities, their development will be extremely satisfying, even as they regularly pass in and out of likability due to their behavior and actions. There are funny moments, but no laughs, if you know what I mean. There is line (not quite a spoiler, but warning you nonetheless) that really cuts to the heart of the movie, like: Don't you still think of yourself as a guitar player, even though you haven't picked up a guitar in decades? The drama of the movie is here, and seeing someone struggle with something so simple can be frustrating. Some in my audience clearly couldn't handle the arrested development of Greenberg, but know this -- it is perfectly acted and presented, nuanced and developed, and certainly why some react so strongly against it: perhaps it hits too close to home

4

by slesser

3

Greenberg by cloudlover
Thank goodness I went alone to this movie--I would have been extremely embarrassed even if I was with my husband! Parts of the movie were funny, but on the whole, I wish I had not seen it.

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