When it comes to getting older, it is something most people don’t really like to think about. Growing up I had this picture of what getting older would look like, and as I have hit that age, I have realized I had it all wrong. What I mean by that is that most of the time in my life I don’t feel like a grown up, but a kid trapped in a grownup’s body. I wonder often if I will ever feel like a grown up, or maybe I am just like everyone else and we all have that feeling. This is the subject brought up in Noah Baumbach’s latest “While We’re Young”, now the only question is how did he do?
Josh (Ben Stiller) is a documentarian filmmaker, who after a successful first film has been having a tough time finishing his second. Josh and his wife Cornelia (Naomi Watts) closest friends have just had a baby, leading to the thought that Cornelia and Josh should have a kid as well. Having tried to take the road already unsuccessfully, they instead marvel at the ability of spontaneity, which to hear them is really not that impressive. Josh also teaches a class and at one of these classes he meets Jamie (Adam Driver), who confesses he is a fan on Josh’s work and somehow works his way into dinner with Josh and Cornelia. At dinner Jamie introduces his wife Darby (Amanda Seyfried) and right away Josh and Cornelia like the sound of Jamie and Darby’s life. The four soon become friends, and it is like the fountain of youth for Josh and Cornelia as they dive head first into their young friends lives, only to rediscover later the things that are most important in life.
When it comes to indie drama/comedies, there are not many better writers better then Noah Baumbach. With films like “The Squid and the Whale” and “Frances Ha” his track record speaks volumes. So with that said, there is a good chance he can cancel out Stiller, who has little range when it comes to acting. This being the second collaboration with Stiller, as they last teamed in in 2010’s “Greenberg”, which was an ok enough film. Alas, Stiller is still Stiller here, and Watts does her best, but when it comes to “While We’re Young” as a whole, while I could relate to the subject, I found the film lacking inspiration. For the most part was just boring. Going in I was expecting a laugh out loud film, but with Baumbach, you usually get a good share of sarcastic laughs, but this time around those were few and far between. I wanted to like this movie, while the trailer didn’t make me feel tingly inside, it also didn’t make me dread it either. I did like the story, but I just think It could have been done better. For me “While We’re Young” is a lot like the aging process, you look forward to it some, but once you get there you realize it’s not that big of deal.
Brian Taylor
