Perhaps the most pivotal scene in the movie “Greenberg” comes in a scene at a party where the title character, Roger Greenberg, takes a cocktail of drugs, has a relationship-altering conversation with his best friend Ivan, and subsequently calls a girl he’s involved with, Florence Marr. All of this is important because of what it reveals about the character of Roger. Audience members who only know Ben Stiller as a comedic actor will be pleasantly surprised with how adroitly he handles such a serious and demanding role, much as Jim Carrey did in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and unlike Jack Black in another Noah Baumbach movie “Margot at the Wedding.” When Roger is talking to Ivan, we see his character more clearly than at any other point in the movie.
Roger lives with a great deal of regret and struggles with where he’s currently at in his life. Ivan has reminded him of how different both of their lives would be if the band they were in had gotten a record deal that Roger inadvertantly sabotaged years ago. “Obviously I would do things differently now!” Roger pleads. This is the scene where Stiller shows he has acting chops. He lets himself go and shows us a character at his most vulnerable.
Writer and director Noah Baumbach continues to unveil the character of Roger when Roger makes a phone call to Florence afterward, as he says, “I think Ivan and I just broke up.” Roger is still processing his regret. He has wound up being a carpenter, but during the movie, he’s housesitting for his brother in L.A. Florence is the Greenbergs’ assistant. Roger’s old friends Ivan and Bella, his brother and old girlfriend Beth supply us with answers to Roger’s past and Florence helps us realize where he currently stands and offers clues to his future.
In perhaps the funniest scene in the movie, Ivan and Roger are celebrating Roger’s birthday at a restaurant. Roger is antsy, wondering if he should have invited Florence. He does and proceeds to call up his ex-girlfriend Beth to try to get together with her later in the week. When Florence arrives, she puts him at ease for a while. Ivan has the wait staff bring him a cake and everyone sings Happy Birthday. Roger is furious, has some choice words for Ivan and storms out. Florence thought it was funny, helping Roger to move on from the situation.
Like most of Greenberg, the scene is painfully funny. We are able to laugh at Roger because his social difficulties lead to comical situations, but at the same time, we feel bad for Roger afterward because he struggles. He is what makes the movie so interesting. He’s a complex character you can become emotionally invested in, and one who gives you moments of laughter no less. I’d be remiss in failing to mention that while Roger carries the movie, Florence and Roger’s relationship with Florence are the unsung heroes of the movie. Their relationship is interesting because it has a complexity not often seen in movies. Florence and Roger have significant differences: she enjoys being social while Roger can hardly function socially; she’s a young twentysomething while he is middle-aged; he tries to do nothing while she can’t stand it that she hasn’t done much since she got out of school; she’s a caretaker type while Roger needs someone caring. They make a good match because of these differences. They both have their flaws, but they abstain from judgement and help each other out when these flaws reach a crisis.
4 out of 4 stars
