After reaching that career peak that was ´Frances Ha´, New York auteur Noah Baumbach seems to have rediscovered his funny bones, following up his acclaimed picture with a double dose of comedy in which many want to see the beginning of a second and more accomplished professional phase, leaving behind his sometimes uneven dramas.
The first on arriving was ´While We’re Young´, a hilarious look at the lives of ageing hipsters after having been replaced by a new generation. Baumbach´s reflects about the social, familiar and professional roles society forces upon us in different periods of our life through the story of a documentary filmmaker who hit gold with his debut, but got stagnated at making a second one resorting to teaching as a way to make a living; Insecurity and apathy gaining ground on his and engaged in a loving but childless marriage, which somehow put some distance in their relationship with close friends, all of them having their first or second kids.
When one of his pupils approaches him hailing the influence his former work has had, a friendship of bromance proportions develops, in which their respective partners are also thrown in, somehow reconnecting with the changes everything that mattered in their past has gone through, as well as discovering the possibilities of what a younger generation has to offer.
Blessed with a note-perfect cast, Ben Stiller, never better on a serious role, is the filmmaker. Naomi Watts, ever dependable, his rather bored wife, whose father is a prestigious documentary helmer, played by the excellent and long-time no see Charles Grodin- , which puts some more pressure on his lack of professional success. Their younger counterparts, also excellent, are Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried, and there are some surprises among the supporting roles, including Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, certain to please the generation depicted on the film.
‘While We’re Young’ was close to becoming a modern comic classic, only a third act where the discovery of the student´s ulterior motives for their friendship, leads to an almost obsessive and rather long revenge sub plot that alters considerably the tone, makes a small dent in what up to that point was a flawless screenplay. But despite this minor shortcoming, it has ended up as one of the most distinctive and finely observed of comedies of2015.
Better still is the second one, ‘Mistress America’, which arrived to our screens a couple weeks ago, with Frances Ha´s Greta Gerwig back in starring and writing duties with the director for another showcase of her charms. Mistress America also recurs to a relationship between people with a slight difference of age to portrait the expectations and achievements in different periods of our lives. In this case a misfit Literature student just arrived to her NY college -terrific Lola Kirke who we just discovered last year as the assailant of Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl and gives the perfect replica to the iconic indie counterpart-, who meets her lively and resourceful thirty-something soon to be sister in law. The apparentl odd pair become instant friends. The introverted student gets fascinated by the confidence, openness and effortless cool of her Jill of all trades, daydreaming new relative who welcomes her into the hip, creative circles. Kirke finds in Gerwig not just friendship and admiration, but a source of inspiration for her creative juices, boosted by observing and writing about the ways of her new pal she soon discovers the flaws and sadness under her unstoppable up for it attitude, quickly getting so close and perceptive about her half-sister´s life that inadvertently turns her into a character of her own, one whose vital decisions she is willing to help developing as Gerwig´s character becomes more and more revealing on her increasingly desperate search for a big break that gives success and purpose to her meandering ways.
All of this will lead to a glorious central act, which is both a homage and an exploration of the possibilities of classic screwball comedy when the two, aided by a college flirt and his jealous girlfriend go and visit a best friend from her past turned Nemesis when she stole her wealthy r boyfriend as well as a lucrative idea for fabric patterns from her, trying to convinced them to become partners on her latest venture, an innovative new concept for a restaurant. A gallery of curious characters, including the members of a book club gathering and a noisy German neighbor, help shaping up the snappiest collection of one-liners, twists and general Vaudeville frenzy taking place in the interior of a fancy house since Almodovar´s ´Woman At the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown´.
In the third act things go predictably sour as a reality check takes place, bringing some sort of role reversal, as the shy, aspiring writer has gained assertiveness about her potential, whereas Gerwig´s character, despite getting the help she needed from his ex, who bailed her out of the risky restaurant idea, runs out of steam.
‘Mistress America’ is one of Baumbach’s most accomplished works; one that totally justifies the habitual media praise as the new Woody Allen -his Jewish and New York background making it an easy call- he´s been receiving since his ´The Squid and The Whale´ breakthrough and also confirms a rejuvenated and insightful comic voice at the peak of his powers. Both works should be deservedly remembered as two of the funniest movies of 2015.
