Marriage Story

Tolstoy opened Anna Karenina by asserting that "happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Is he saying happy families are boring? Is he saying unhappy families are more interesting? I don't know.

The Thrombeys are entertaining. The Barbers, the family featured in Noah Baumbach's new Netflix film, Marriage Story, are less so. Funny thing is, it's not as depressing as I'd thought it be. Let's see why.

The Barbers' marriage is practically over. Charlie (Adam Driver) is bound to his directing career on the New York Stage. Nicole (Scarlet Johansson), his lead actress, wants to return to her roots in Hollywood. She takes her chance when she's offered a role in a TV Pilot. She takes their son, Henry (Azhy Robertson), with her for the stint. This builds up already simmering problems between them. Charlie gets served divorce papers once he arrives to visit.

Nicole gets Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern) as her attorney. Charlie first hires milquetoast Bert Spitz (Alan Alda), and then the more brash Jay Marotta (Ray Liotta). They have a lot to argue about, especially concerning custody of Henry. They'll have to come to some agreement for the sake of Henry and themselves.

The film starts off with the Barbers explaining each others' good qualities. But they're too bitter to read them to their mediator. We don't get any flashbacks to their happy times. But we soon understand how badly their relationship has crumbled. The film wants to paint neither as "good" or "bad," though I think it sympathizes with Nicole a bit more. It's Charlie's ignorant indifference that sets off the divorce.

Still, Driver and Johannson are sympathetic leads. They have understandable motivations for their city choice. You can feel their pressure as the proceedings go on. They both make commendable efforts to make things right. They do have some tender moments during the process, which are accentuated by a nice Randy Newman score. Their climactic fight is the most unbearable part of the proceedings. Maybe second; Charlie's botched knife trick (long story) is painful.

The film's supporting cast makes the family drama bearable. Nicole's eccentric mother Sandra (Julie Haggerty) and sister Cassie (Merritt Wever) are much needed comic relief. They dote on Charlie despite Nicole's objections. It's both funny and tense when Cassie has to serve Charlie the divorce papers. Laura Dern as Nora steals her scenes with her sunny viciousness. She's a good friend to Nicole and a strong verbal sparring partner for Jay Marotta. Alda's time as Bert doesn't last the whole film. But his dialogue is the most incisive ("{Divorce} is like a death without a body.""). Wallace Shawn stands out as Frank, a veteran actor in Charlie's company.

There's quite a few ways this Marriage Story could've ended. But let's talk about the end result. It's a strong family drama about life during divorce. Its memorable ensemble carries the film through 136 minutes. Its ending is much more hopeful than something like The War of the Roses. So don't feel too bad if it's not a conventional ending. See it on Netlfix or theaters. You decide ... if you have both options.