Watch The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) on Netflix
Written by: Noah Baumbach
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson
Rated: TV-MA
Plot
Gathering for an event commemorating their artist father, three adult siblings navigate their difficult relationships with him and each other.
Verdict
This is a character study about an insecure father whose neglect and idiosyncrasies shaped his children. It's wonderfully written and painfully real. The acting is impressive. I have to imagine Baumbach was inspired by his own life, these character are just too real and tragic. This has a lot of depth with nuanced characters.
Watch it.
Review
Everything centers on patriarch Harold (Dustin Hoffman). He's a sculptor that feels he never got the break he deserved. While he nurtured artistic talents in his children, his children didn't continue their pursuits. You get the feeling Harold is glad as he doesn't want anyone that could eclipse him. He's pessimistic and gloomy, dumping that on his children. He goes to a friend's art show and plays nice in public, but complains to Matthew (Ben Stiller) about how the art lacks emotion. It's not the work that's the problem, it's that it is not Harold's. He never once imagined that his lack of success is his own fault. He's insecure and afraid to admit it.
After splitting with his wife, Danny (Adam Sandler) moves in with his father. As you assume he's heard his entire life, Harold talks about the success of Danny's (Ben Stiller) half brother Matthew. Danny yearns for his father's approval, still hopeful that one day he'll receive it.
In the first scene Danny is experiencing road rage as he drives with his daughter. He has a lot of pent up anger, and he's upset when he learns Harold is selling the house even though he didn't grow up there. The movie leave it up to the viewer to parse through those emotions. Danny is moving in with his father, with whom his relationship is strained, he just got a divorce, and his daughter is going off to college. It's a lot going on and he's stressed. Sandler has gotten a lot of deserved praise for his acting. It's good, but I don't put it on the level of Punch Drunk Love.
When Matthew flies into town, Harold tells him how great Danny is doing. There's no way to connect with Harold. He's completely self absorbed. The children don't have a close relationship with each other, and that has to stem from the family dynamic they were taught. Harold has had an effect on the children. His lack of attention bothered Danny, just as his attention to Matthew screwed him up too. He has a lot of pride in Matthew based solely on affluence, but never tells him that. He's just as tactless with him as the rest, always talking up the other kids but never praising the child he's with. .A lack parenting has long term effects. The children have to realize they'll never earn Harold's love or respect. They need to realize that and move on.
Jean is the sister, and she's neglected by Harold and the movie. I wish she had more scenes even if is for only quick bits of comedic relief. She has the best line in the film, "That was a hard R." after watching Danny's daughter's short film titled "Pagina Man." It's stranger than you can imagine.
This is the kind of movie I want to watch again just to pick up what I missed. It's difficult to mass market this movie since it lacks the action scenes and flash of more mainstream movies, but I'm glad Netflix nabbed this.
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