I have struggled
with much of Noah Baumbach’s filmmaking, if only because of his tendency to
focus on narratives with extremely flawed characters. In some cases, this suits
the stories being told. It would be difficult to show the strain of a divorce
without exposing the way that it can bring out the worst in the family being
torn apart, as he did with The Squid and
the Whale. But even in that film the problem I had with the characters had
little to do with the mistakes that they made, but rather, the superiority and
condescension used as they refused to admit fault in themselves. From that film
on, Baumbach has had a fascination with pretentious and unlikable leading
characters, a trend which only seemed to increase as he began collaborating
with actress Greta Gerwig, who rose into relevance through a movement of film
centered around performances so intentionally raw that they are often more
annoying than amusing.
I hated Frances Ha with a strong passion, giving
it one of the angriest reviews of my career. While part of this was out of
disgust for the nepotism involved in the filmmaking, I was more annoyed by how
vapid the screenplay and its characters were, elevating the distasteful
elements of both the Mumblecore movement and Baumbach’s style to a whole new
level of self-important waspishness. These are the very reasons I avoid the
television series “Girls,” so I was fully anticipating the need for another
hate-filled review when I heard that Gerwig and Baumbach had collaborated once
again. So, you can imagine how delightful a surprise it was to find Mistress America may very well be
Baumbach’s most accessible and enjoyable film.
Are there still
self-absorbed and flawed characters? Absolutely, but this time around Baumbach
has the sense to spread the character’s shortcomings around amongst the cast. He
also does the audience a great service by matching their weaknesses with
strengths, so that all characters are a mixed bag of good and bad. I truly
believe that this was his intention all along, though Baumbach’s filmmaking in
the past suffered from his unwillingness to allow sentimentality to seep into
the character analysis. The result felt cold and calculated, as though the
filmmaker was intentionally keeping the audience at arm’s length. Baumbach
changes this in Mistress America, all
with the decision to provide audiences with what may very well be his most
relatable protagonist in 20 years of filmmaking.
Tracy (Lola Kirke) is a lonely college
freshman in New York Tracy Frances Frances Tracy
This short story
plays a significant role in moving the plot forward into the traditional act
structure, but Mistress America is
always happy to slip into aimless sequences of montage and purposeless comedic
banter between the characters. It almost feels like a genre film marrying
independent sensibility in the same way as Dazed
and Confused, without the period nostalgia attached. Whatever this is, I
have never had a more pleasant turn-around from the expectations I originally
had from a film. Much, if not all of this is due to the character of Tracy,
whether it is the vulnerable performance by Kirke or simply the uncertainty of
the character, in comparison to the arrogance I am accustomed to loathing in
Baumbach’s protagonists.
The Blu-ray
release comes with a digital HD copy of the film, though the extras on the
actual disc are rather unimpressive. There are a few promotional featurettes,
which means that they are more commercials to get people to see the film than
any information on the actual filmmaking process. Also included are a photo
gallery and the theatrical trailer. The high definition itself is somewhat
unnecessary for this film, which is more fueled by the pop soundtrack than the
visuals.
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
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