Greenberg

Saw Greenberg, an indie-feeling movie. That is to say, a film of semi-restrained performances and dealing with romance in these arch, modern times. It stars an incredibly distracting Ben Stiller who plays an aging rocker who has become a mental-case and also a carpenter. So self-absorbed is he, he writes letters to the editor and mails virulent complaints to any corporation that crosses his path. He does not drive but casually volunteers his friends to give other friends rides. He only listens to music of the 70s and 80s which I think is meant to be symptomatic of his habitual retreat into younger, happier, more promise-filled times. Near the end of the film, he joins in on a party with a bunch of teenagers and slowly, painfully, warms to their attention before suddenly realizing that they are laughing not with but at him and that they regard him (though not consciously) as some absurd and marvelous horror.

His romantic foil is a laid back/possibly spineless woman, Flo (as in 'go with the') who is the caretaker of his (far richer) brother's house. She tries to help out the obviously damaged Stiller without getting too hurt herself. She sometimes flirts dangerously close to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype (I shamelessly steal this notion from Nathan Rabin) but seems fully real enough and does retreat when the going becomes emotionally abusive, so she's believable at least, if perhaps not likely. She personifies the relaxed acceptance of youth and of the west coast (where this movie is emphatically set) and is set in healing opposition to Stiller's neurotic, egocentric east coast self.

There's also a subplot with a dog and Stiller's old band-mate but enough about the plot. The film is just really well observed. It has all of these little clues into the scarey mystery of Stiller's character. He's the frustrated and desperate future that lies in wait for all of us, if we're not careful. He is self-obsessed but not self-aware. I was extremely discomfited to see more than a little of myself in him. Thanks for the rides everyone, btw!