tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743129782777461725.post2795495132279719181..comments2014-11-02T20:10:04.434+00:00Comments on Celluloid Word Slick: GreenbergMonsieur Le Capuchinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07927917854738455114noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743129782777461725.post-73704239990114478812010-07-08T00:56:36.714+01:002010-07-08T00:56:36.714+01:00Where has angst & ennui been done better, with...Where has angst & ennui been done better, with such a sure grasp of social dysfunction and the odd tension of old friendships? <br /><br />I disagree, even that the bulk of the film is about Greenberg & Florence. Hes in every scene after her initial 10 minute vignette and it catalogues all his interactions. Its a character study of, as you say, a man who can't connect. And she is the only person who really connects with him, vulnerable and insecure as she is. Its never even clear that they fall in love, but if thats an issue then sure, people fall in love with unsuitable, annoying, even impossible people all the time. I think that in the internal world of this film it makes perfect sense.<br /><br />Your criticisms all seem to address what the film wasn't instead of what it was. "There should be more" etc. Why should there be?David Nhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01289610966074361701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743129782777461725.post-77479613175792981272010-07-07T23:37:58.525+01:002010-07-07T23:37:58.525+01:00I would argue that the Greenberg/Ivan relationship...I would argue that the Greenberg/Ivan relationship is the best part of the film and where it should focus, but it really is the central romance where the bulk of the movie lies. It is a study of modern angst and ennui but that's been done better elsewhere and the impact it has on him forming relationships with the opposite sex is key. Yes you get his little speeches at the teen party and the sub-Curb Your Enthusiasm rants but mostly it's about his inability, yet yearning to connect.<br /><br />It's not necessary to invest in a lead if enough is going on. There should be more Ifans, more of the dog (ie the relationship with the outside world;his family; institutions), more of the alienating landscape of Los Angeles or whatever, but no. You may have met people like Greenberg in your life but would you say that they've encouraged you to spend more time with them, to fall in love? I don't buy Florence falling for him.Monsieur Le Capuchinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07927917854738455114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6743129782777461725.post-17909755638111025032010-07-06T23:33:47.941+01:002010-07-06T23:33:47.941+01:00"Greenberg wants to be taken as a quirky indi..."Greenberg wants to be taken as a quirky indie romcom, more like Juno than In the Company of Men or the Shape of Things." Does it?<br />I don't think so. Its a study of modern angst and ennui, and the romcom element is just one - small - part of the narrative, albeit the part that has been highlighted by the marketing. The relationship between Greenberg and Ivan seems more important, really, than the romance.<br /><br />"The problem with an unsympathetic lead who isn’t an antihero figure is that it’s hard to invest in them."<br />But why is it necessary to invest in a lead? Surely its enough that a character be interesting or have a certain truth to their portrayal, without the crutch of investment? This is realist art of a sort, and I have met people like Greenberg in my life. That is enough in a film with other things on its mind than making you care about its characters.David Nhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01289610966074361701noreply@blogger.com