In most films about divorce, there is a tendency to create clear sides for the audience to root for. One person has to be cast as the villain who has done something so reprehensible to the other person that there is no disputing that they should be at fault in the dissolution of their marriage. But what happens when people simply split up for the reason that they are just are no longer compatible with each other? This realistic depiction of a couple falling out of love is what anchors Noah Baumbach’s latest film, “Marriage Story,” starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. The film has been playing in select theaters over the past month but will make its way to Netflix this Friday.
The film follows Driver and Johansson’s characters — Charlie and Nicole — who have been married for several years and share a child together named Henry, played by Azhy Robertson. Charlie and Nicole both run an experimental theater company in New York where Charlie writes and directs and Nicole stars. Things start to fall apart in their marriage for a number of reasons, and Nicole decides to leave New York for Los Angeles to take her chances getting cast in a network pilot. She moves back home with her actress mother Sandra, played by the hilarious Julie Hagerty, in order to lay down roots back in her hometown and assembles her legal team against Charlie.
Hagerty, the comedic treasure from the classic “Airplane!” films, provides some of the film’s biggest laughs as Sandra tries to offer a safe haven for her daughter while trying to maintain a great relationship with her old son-in-law and her grandson. When I spoke with Hagerty over the phone, she tells me of how Baumbach’s keen eye to detail and realistic approach to dealing with the dissolution of a family drew her to the script.
“You just can’t be with somebody for years, even if it’s a son-in-law and you’ve got children. I think with any separation of people who have relationships there is a trickle down effect of how it affects everyone,” explains Hagerty. “Every time I see this film, there are little nuances and it’s such a testament to how great a director he is that you don’t even notice because it’s so natural a behavior.”
Baumbach’s writing and direction really make you familiar with the eccentricities of not only Charlie and Nicole, but all of the supporting characters that populate their world. Whether it’s Nicole’s hard-ass divorce lawyer Nora Fanshaw, played by the force of nature that is Laura Dern, Charlie’s sympathetic lawyer Bert Spitz, played by Alan Alda, or the actors that make up Charlie’s New York theater group, each character is given their own identifiable attributes that add color to the story.
“His writing is so gorgeous and clear. For each character, no matter the size of the part, everyone has a very definitive personality that he has written,” Hagerty adds. “From soup to nuts, there is such clarity and honesty that he gets out of each actor.”
With such an incredible cast, Hagerty’s performance truly shines as the most outright example of comic relief in the film as Sandra’s quirks help to cut the tension of the main conflict taking place.
“I loved playing her and I loved working with Adam, Merritt [Wever, who plays Nicole’s sister, Cassie], and Scarlett,” says Hagerty. “They are such great actors and only make you better. I loved playing that part. She’s a mother who loves her kids and loves her grandbaby. She’s a showbiz mom. I had a great time playing her.”
