I was really looking forward to seeing this film. I've been a fan of Noah Baumbach since "The Squid and The Whale" Dustin Hoffman is perhaps my favourite actor, I grew up with Ben Stiller, and it looked as though this could be Adam Sandler's comeback. Maybe my expectations were too high, but this underwhelmed me. It certainly wasn't bad. This is one of those movies where I will keep changing my mind about how good and how bad it is. Its level will keep moving in a small range.
Knowing Noah Baumbach, there were a few things expected in The Meyerowitz Stories. Dustin Hoffman plays the patriarch of the Meyerowitz family. He's a retired art professor who has been married a few times and keeps nailing his own aspirations into his children. He thinks he's better than he really is. His son Danny (Adam Sandler) is unemployed. How he got this way is pretty forgettable. Daughter Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) is a hippie whose backstory is also forgettable. But in her defence, she is purposefully the least developed. The strongest character of the three children in Matthew (Ben Stiller). Matthew is a successful architect who is the most resentful. The movie is pretty slow until Matthew is looked upon. Before that the movie tries to do a firm job in establishing the first two children. Baumbach does not do a good job in drawing them out because I've already forgotten.
The main plot of the story deals with Mr. Meyerowitz being on the verge of death following a strong tolerance for neurological accidents. Their kids look back on their lives and what their father means to them. Remember when I said Danny and Jean's backstories aren't well developed? Well nothing changes. We do get to know their personalities and grow to like them, but if you miss the beginning then tough luck!
Perhaps the biggest flaw that this has is it seems to take "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Descendants" and mesh them together. Three grown children look at how their "dying" father has influenced them with one still being a huge success? Royal Tenenbaums. Baumbach even tries to do some Wes Anderson filming. A loved one on their deathbed that people have a hard time saying positive things about? The Descendants. I don't mind seeing influences. I'm okay with movies that borrow. But as long as they are done well! No new ground is broken and nothing that it takes gets elevated. The two films that are influenced has so much more spark and originality. If new ground was broken and things were elevated, even if there was spark and pizazz, I would think higher of it.
But I think I may change my mind about it down the road. Constantly.
2.5/4
Knowing Noah Baumbach, there were a few things expected in The Meyerowitz Stories. Dustin Hoffman plays the patriarch of the Meyerowitz family. He's a retired art professor who has been married a few times and keeps nailing his own aspirations into his children. He thinks he's better than he really is. His son Danny (Adam Sandler) is unemployed. How he got this way is pretty forgettable. Daughter Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) is a hippie whose backstory is also forgettable. But in her defence, she is purposefully the least developed. The strongest character of the three children in Matthew (Ben Stiller). Matthew is a successful architect who is the most resentful. The movie is pretty slow until Matthew is looked upon. Before that the movie tries to do a firm job in establishing the first two children. Baumbach does not do a good job in drawing them out because I've already forgotten.
The main plot of the story deals with Mr. Meyerowitz being on the verge of death following a strong tolerance for neurological accidents. Their kids look back on their lives and what their father means to them. Remember when I said Danny and Jean's backstories aren't well developed? Well nothing changes. We do get to know their personalities and grow to like them, but if you miss the beginning then tough luck!
Perhaps the biggest flaw that this has is it seems to take "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Descendants" and mesh them together. Three grown children look at how their "dying" father has influenced them with one still being a huge success? Royal Tenenbaums. Baumbach even tries to do some Wes Anderson filming. A loved one on their deathbed that people have a hard time saying positive things about? The Descendants. I don't mind seeing influences. I'm okay with movies that borrow. But as long as they are done well! No new ground is broken and nothing that it takes gets elevated. The two films that are influenced has so much more spark and originality. If new ground was broken and things were elevated, even if there was spark and pizazz, I would think higher of it.
But I think I may change my mind about it down the road. Constantly.
2.5/4