American 21st century post traumatic stress and economic desolation gets filtered through the mid-life crisis of Ben Stiller’s troubled character Roger Greenberg in Noah Baumbach’s edgy romantic comedy that puts a premium on how we treat one another. There are plenty of laughs to be had–both easy and queasy–as Roger attempts to decompress back into society after a stint in a mental hospital. With the openly disclosed goal of doing nothing, Roger house-sits at his brother Phillip’s comfortable Los Angeles home while said brother (Chris Messina) and his wife vacation for six weeks in Viet Nam. Riddled with anxiety and OCD behavior, Roger slips into a romantic liaison with his brother’s personal assistant Florence (uninhibitedly played by impressive newcomer Greta Gerwig – “The House of the Devil”). The spontaneous relationship serves as a sounding board for Roger’s constant fears and emotional concerns. It also exposes Florence as a force of nature whose self-deprecating needs set up a post-collapse thematic mantra she learned from her singing coach; “hurt people, hurt people.” Indeed, “Greenberg” is about people in so much pain that they can’t help but lash out with uncontrolled defense mechanisms that belie personal truths they can barely articulate. Baumbach and co-story writer Jennifer Jason Leigh have tapped into America’s chasm of disbelief. The film fearlessly stares into a social abyss that threatens to swallow up a country forced into doing nothing. Fearless.
(Focus Features) Rated R. 107 mins. (B+) (Four Stars – out of five/no halves)
