DVD Review: Greenberg - Page 2

Gerwig sustains the endearing side of this plot as a personal assistant who is single, does not buy anything for herself, and has no self-esteem. “I have got to stop doing things because they feel good,” she says. Florence’s thoughts eventually turn flighty as Roger easily conveys his frustration. “We never talk about anything good,” says Roger. Roger seems ready for a self-induced meltdown after insisting Ivan tell him about the honestly negative feedback about him from other past acquaintances.

Roger and Florence's unlikely pairing has a chance due to some genuine care and brutally honest interactions as the open-ended conclusion provides hope without showing it. Hopefully Roger and Florence end up making beautiful music together.

The three bonus features are extended previews, not full featurettes. "A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Greenberg" is very misleading. “Greenberg Loves Los Angeles” talks about scouting locations and capturing a unique view of Los Angeles, including input from the crew and location manager. This extra represents the best insight as audiences eventually get a behind the scenes look, but it abruptly ends just as interest peaks. “Noah Baumbach Takes a Novel Approach” touches on the approach to creating Greenberg’s character while repeating several of the same clips from the previous two extras. All these extras combine into an underwhelming seven minutes.

The music soundtrack includes a nice mix of classic and recently released songs by musicians including Steve Miller Band, Albert Hammond, Lily Allen, Duran Duran, Sonics, plus Paul and Linda McCartney.

James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem also contributes several songs including “People,” “Sleepy Baby,” “Thumbs,” “Plenty of Time,” “Photographs,” “Australia,” and “If You Need a Friend.” The carefully chosen music becomes its own character quickly in early sequences featuring side shots of Florence driving.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track picks up the dialogue well and audio language tracks include English, French, and Spanish. Subtitles are available in English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Stiller deserves high accolades for this role, which also might garner him a Golden Globe nomination. Recommended and is rated R for drug use, language, and some strong sexuality. Also available on Blu-ray.

Article Author: Tall Writer

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