Discuss Marriage Story
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Title should be "Divorce Story"
posted by Mon-StarSTAFFMOD on December 6, 2019 at 11:21 PM
The film is not about marriage, but about getting a divorce. The privileged lives of a director and actress are not the ideal story to present in a theatrical release, so it's on Netflix.
Realistically, the scumbag lawyers should have gone much farther than what the film showed. Their real goal is to get as much of the parties' money for themselves as they possibly can, by dragging the case out for as long as possible. Fathers' rights are trampled on regularly by divorce and family courts. This was not shown. This is a TV movie that made a nice try but missed the mark by a long shot.
Reply by jorgito2001
on December 18, 2019 at 3:47 PM
I still think dad got the shaft in this one...his kid made permanent residence in L.A. and it doesn't look like life has been all that good to him. Also it looks like it was very influenced by, not only director's Noah Baumbach personal divorce experience, but Laura Dern AND Scarlett Johansson's own personal experience in divorce.
I can tell you from my OWN experience...married for 18 years with two kids (at the time of divorce, 13 & 10), I related to A LOT in this movie. We were very civil and hired the same attorney to be a mediator...I wanted full custody, but as a father that was NOT going to happen in Florida...mom would have to be "unfit" (drug addict, alcoholic, mentally unstable, etc) and TWO attorneys I consulted with stated the same, "is she willing to split custody? Not fight for a high child support? TAKE IT AND SAY THANK YOU!" Dad's are notorious for getting shafted in divorces. The ending hit home for me too...in the end, we're still friendly with each other...even rip on each other when I pick up the kids at her house and get along great. The part where Driver started to cry during their apartment argument (where he hits the wall)...Good God, I FELT that man! I was there!!!! Not a feeling I'd wish on my worst enemy.
Reply by Daddie0
on January 4, 2020 at 8:18 PM
The only "semi-clean" divorces I have seen are when there are no kids involved...it seems that lawyers (and parents) know that custody negotiations are unthinkable and trigger our most primal fears and passions. That benefits the lawyers and costs the family dearly. God help those who walk this path....
Reply by Sagat24
on February 16, 2020 at 8:41 AM
INCLUDES SPOiLERS. I felt irritated at the end of this film. I can see some of my relationship with my wife reflected here and it's painful. I don't understand why anyone would make this film or want to watch it. I don't have much free time and I just used the best part of three hours watching another couple argue. The wife was just so unreasonable, she was maddening. I'm reminded of a quote from an Oliver Stone film 'hell is the impossibility of reason'. I think a relationship with her just felt like that. The wife was so selfish and manipulative. I didn't like how the writers felt it necessary to have the husband cheat on her to just balance things out, because after that I felt everything he got he deserved. It would have been a better story without that. I know it's pathetic but at the end I just wanted them to get back together.
Reply by Daddie0
on February 22, 2020 at 4:40 PM
It sounds like you have been to Hell and back. While I didn't like this film, especially the first half for some reason, one of the gifts of art is to help us process/reprocess/think through our own experiences with new insights. Sadly, the struggles we see reflected in this film are all to familiar to those of us who have been married, whether divorced or not. As such, the subject is a risky one, but worth exploration. There are so many such real life experiences in the audience that it would be impossible to capture something pleasing or applicable to all.
On another note, the only thing I have seen that takes a positive position on divorce (albeit something I personally am not a fan of...divorce in general) is a documentary film on how certain Scandinavian countries handle divorce. I just looked it up real quick and the film is called Divorce Corp. Divorce in those countries is simple paperwork filed by the couple, custody is shared and there is no alimony. Basically they have removed profit motives for divorce. Other than that one model, divorce is a mess, especially here in the States.
Here's a link to a interesting interview with the filmmakers.
Reply by Nygma-0999
on February 24, 2020 at 3:13 AM
So basically this just updated Kramer vs Kramer. No wonder it seem so incredibly lame.
Reply by Daddie0
on February 24, 2020 at 2:00 PM
Did you watch it?
Reply by Nygma-0999
on March 8, 2020 at 2:22 PM
Not Really, I watched some clips online. It just seems like movie about two seriously unlikable people yelling at each other for an hour and 40 minutes.
Reply by Daddie0
on March 8, 2020 at 10:25 PM
Well, I had decided not to watch it, after hearing the reviews/criticism...plus I don't like divorce on principle. For some reason I decided to watch it and it is quite painful, but in retrospect, maybe in all the right ways. It's definitely not a "fun popcorn flick" but I do wonder where the art has gone in much of today's film-making. The fact that a fictional story can elicit these kinds of feelings/experiences/reactions lends credence to the craft. TBH, I can't recall Kramer vs Kramer, but after checking out the trailer, yeah, it's probably a modern rendition.