Film: "While We're Young"; Cast: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver,
Amanda Seyfried, Charles Grodin, Maria Dizzia and Adam Horowitz;
Director: Noah Baumbach; Rating: ***
Naoh Baumbach's "While
We're Young" is a slice of life film that deals with the inevitable
truth of life -- youth and old age. It is a film about mid-life crisis
of Josh and Cornelia -- the protagonists. The film portrays each
perspective effectively with striking characters that are relatable as
they are caught up in their predicaments.
Treated as a light
comedy, it is the tale of Josh, a documentary filmmaker-cum-professor
and his wife Cornelia, who happens to be a documentary film producer
working for her father, a seasoned filmmaker, Leslie Breitbart. The
couple, childless and in their mid-40s, are in a happy zone doing their
own stuff at their pace.
Professionally, Josh has been engrossed with his ambitious project for over a decade and has no intention of wrapping it up.
Their
lives cross path with Jamie and Darby, a young couple in their mid-20s,
who attend Josh's lecture. Jamie is an aspiring filmmaker and his wife
is an entrepreneur. Soon a mentor-mentee relationship is formed. Josh
and Cornelia find themselves weaning away from their friends and peers
as they spend time with the youngsters and their circle of friends.
This, they find reinvigorating and exciting.
Josh helps Jamie
with his documentary. But soon, Josh, the perfectionist, finds himself
questioning Jamie's method of functioning and debates on the ethics
between the generations.
What makes the film exceptional is the
detailing in the script. The scenes and characterisation bear testimony
to the director's keen power of observation. He makes you notice the
minute elements and undercurrents of the relationships. Whether it's the
shortcuts Jamie takes as a filmmaker that infuriates Josh and his
blatant acceptance of his insincerity, or Darby's strange affirmation as
a self-defense mechanism -- the manner in which theses skillfully
crafted characters are interwoven is impressive.
Humour is witnessed in the form of innocuous dialogues that hit a tangent.
On
the acting front, director Noah Baumbach extracts brilliant
performances from his cast. Ben Stiller as Josh and Naomi Watts as
Cornelia are convincing. They have a flare for comedy, which can be
noticed in spurts. But unfortunately, the comic quotient in the script
is weak and hence their potential is not exploited to the fullest.
With
his boyish charm and an overtly off-hand demeanour, Adam Driver
portrays Jamie to perfection. With no fault of his, he is irritating to
an extent that provokes you to detest his character. Amanda Seyfried
aptly supports him.
Technically, the film is well presented
except for a few jerky transitions and bleeps imposed by the Indian
censor board which mar the viewing experience.
Overall, the film
is amusing and will appeal to an older audience with a bohemian attitude
who is willing to learn and unlearn about life.
