The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

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The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) – 3 out of 5

If you’ve ever read a review I’ve done on an Adam Sandler comedy, you would probably get the idea that I hate the man.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  I don’t hate him.  I don’t like the comedies he’s in because I find them painfully unfunny but the man himself, I have no hate for.  In fact, I actually respect the guy for a couple of reasons.  Number One, he has an amazing amount of creative freedom.  He pretty much answers to no one and just makes movies that are him and his friends goofing off.  I’m a writer and performer in a sketch group in Milwaukee, what I wouldn’t give to be able to have that level of creative freedom and to make a living at it.  Finally, Number Two, the dude is actually a legit good actor who rarely gets the opportunity to spread his wings and do some real acting.  Due to the second reason, I went into The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) with some high hopes because I’ve seen Sandler at his best in the past.  However, I walked away from it a tad on the disappointed side.  Not entirely, mind you, but enough.

Adam Driver has a small role in this.  The only thing that is wrong with that
is the fact it was a small part. Driver is great!

This movie centers on the Meyerowitz family and the drama that surrounds them.  There’s Danny (Sandler) who is dealing with his daughter going to college, unemployment and divorce as he moves back in with his artist father Harold (Dustin Hoffman) and his father’s third wife Maureen (Emma Thompson).  Then there’s Danny’s brother Matthew (Ben Stiller) who is a very successful financial advisor who is trying to get Harold to sell his home and all his sculptures.  Finally, the two are joined by their sister Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) after Harold is put into the hospital.  Once they are all together, it’s not long before dark secrets reveal themselves and family drama boils over.

Not to give out Spoilers but Jean's character was Weinstein-ed.
Kinda relevant in this day and age and with a certain cast member in this one.

The Meyerowitz Stories offers up a nice and grounded family drama-centric story and boasts a tremendous cast—although, I had some trouble watching Dustin Hoffman in action due to his sexual misconduct allegations being brought against him and his response to it.  I also really enjoyed how the film wasn’t a single narrative but rather a collection of moments around a single family and the varying scenarios they are dealing with.  The editing in the film is also a real treat and it is even used for a wonderful repeating gag.  Hell, the whole thing was overseen and directed by Noah Baumbach, a very talented man who is no stranger to showcasing great dramas.  However, despite what I liked about this film, I just couldn’t get fully invested into it.

After the allegations came forward, I'd be okay with never seeing this guy
in a movie again.  I won't miss his whispering/mumble delivery.

The actors all have great chemistry and they really come off like a family—for example, I really, really liked every scene that was just Sandler and Stiller together because they really pulled off being brothers and seeing their dynamic unfold, whether it was positive or negative, was a genuine joy to watch.  However, too much of the film just wasn’t that interesting to me.  Seeing the family deal with a past trauma Jean underwent was intriguing and it was touching to see the siblings come together over their sick father but most of the drama just wasn’t that enthralling and the family dynamic wasn’t something I was very sympathetic too because it ultimately felt too narrow and not broad enough for all audience members to relate to.  The film and story is also bogged down slightly due to the film’s length (long movies seem to be something Netflix is aiming for and that’s not always a good thing).  Too often, the story feels like it is dragging and trudging along rather than flowing smoothly.  The movie’s running length is already very close to 2 hours but this made it feel even longer.

I would honestly love to see these two play brothers again in another film.

For the most part, I found The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) to be an okay family drama.  It’s interesting enough and has enough heart that it works on one level but I didn’t find something that was engaging enough or memorable enough to be an incredibly moving piece of work.  Honestly, the best thing about it was the cast (except Hoffman, watching him just gave me a yucky feeling) because they were amazing to watch.  However, in the end, the film just felt like an average, serviceable movie that neither wow’ed me or completely disappointed me.