Rating - 70/100

Did I just watch While We’re Young purely for Adam Driver eye candy?

Did I find all of the pictures that he was in?

Why yes… yes I did. But who cares? 

And if you’re not one to watch While We’re Young  for the sole reason that Driver is in it, then I don’t know what’s wrong with you. 

*waves hands*

Okay… I’m sorry. I’ll stop with all the Driver comments. Please stay around for the rest of the blog. I did have enough sense to pay attention to the actual movie and not just how Driver looked in that hat. Or with all those tattoos. 

*faints.*

*pulls herself back into her chair.*

Seriously, that was the last comment. 

This movie is also on Netflix… so practically free. There’s no reason to not give it a try. What else do you have left to watch at this point?

Aesthetically, the movie was everything, and I don’t mean it in the way you’re probably thinking. Between the costumes and the set design, it was all reminiscent of the 70s, a dynamic that I could sit in for a while. It gave the viewers a sense of chill, especially with the theme of needing to be carefree like the younger couple. A great juxtaposition to the undercurrent of the conflict. You know the care accident was approaching, but you couldn’t look away. Like the older couple, you as the viewer wanted the same hope that the youth have. That feeling that the end of the ticking clock is still a ways off. It’s the thing all of us old people are chasing.

*winks* I’m not old yet. 

Per-usual, writer, director Noah Baumbach knew how to play up those emotional moments. Or this time, I knew what to look for after scouring the internet for interviews and behind the scenes of Marriage Story. There was enough distance in the film for me to pay attention to the shots this time. For example, the beginning, when the older couple moves around in their house. The shots are wide and there’s a lot of space between the characters, playing up the space in their relationship. The rift that has to come when the husband begins to see his failures. Again, the idea comes down to growing old and feeling that ticking clock. Baumbach knows how to play that up, using the camera as a character in the story instead of just capturing the moment. Another moment was the older couple’s fight. This is where being both the writer and director is amazing. You can make your points hit home even more. 

The very way that While We’re Young starts showcases Baumbach’s skill as a writer. From the get go there’s a clear sense of who the older couple is. They’re struggling to calm a baby, forgetting simple nursery rhymes, making you think they’re a team with a new baby, only to learn it’s not theirs. What??? From that moment on, I was hooked. This is not your typical couple going through the typical steps in life. 

With that strong start, I had expected a little bit more with the rest of the movie. Sadly, it fell short in a few areas. 

Take the obvious emotional changes in the film. They were too perfect. Blinking neon signs telling you where the emotional arcs were going. I wasn’t surprised with what happened, unless you count the resolution. That had me scratching my head. Where was the characters’ arc? Was it just the fact that they finally accepted their age because that feels like a cop out. Nothing is ever determined about the husband’s documentary or what he’s doing with his life. It’s hard not knowing when for most of the film he was a failure. I think Baumbach failed his characters by not giving them more in the end. 

Was this really just an attack on the Millennial generation? I mean, I could easily go down that road budy. Who cares if we get what we want? We actually go out and work for it. 

But what really got to me was the supposed conflict in the film. If you know that you don’t have enough conflict to set your movie on, don’t have a character actually call it out in the movie. Here I am, watching, trying to figure out why the husband cares so much at the end. There wasn’t enough of a reason to freak out. Yes, I know the real reason, but this is a movie and not real life. A movie is like stage makeup. You have to put it on a little thicker so the audience can see what you’re doing. 

Hopefully I haven’t scared you away with my tiny rant or tiny obsession with Driver. Give it a try. Again… what else is there to watch? 

Happy Watching

Love Kait.