Director and specialist-in-capturing-New-York-eccentricity Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Francis Ha) returns with yet another quirky tale in While We’re Young. The filmmaker latches onto the concept of a couple resisting middle-age traditions and taking up with new, youthful acquaintances. But is the new and unusual friendship doomed to failure? As a reviewer, I’m not quite certain if I agree with the film’s final assertion, but it’s at least fun trip getting there.
Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts) are a couple in an awkward state. With their friends all having children, the pair feel out on the fringes socially, struggling to find common interests with those in their age group. Documentary filmmaker Josh is also experiencing a crippling, multi-year editing block on his latest project. When young, twenty-something couple Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried) befriend them, it’s an exciting shot in the arm.
In particular, Josh is flattered by Jamie’s interest in his work and in reciprocation takes after the hipster. The couple are also introduced to free-spirited ideas and hobbies. This results in a lot of humor as the older pair awkwardly try to ingratiate themselves with their much younger associates. Whether it’s a hip-hop exercise work-out or a “New Age” purging, the situation often results in laughs. There are also some amusing interchanges between Josh, his older friends and even his doctor, in which the conversations tend to revert to health ailments and afflictions.
This is a dialogue-based movie and its snappiness assists the cast greatly. Both the leads capture the uncertainty and anxiousness of being in between two worlds. The younger couple also believably portray what appears to be a care-free lifestyle. It’s easy to relate to how the transitory Josh and Cornelia might consider themselves self-obsessed and too self-reflexive, aspiring to the more open and giving ways of Jamie and Darby.
But of course, appearances can be deceiving. As events progress, Josh and Jamie collaborate on a film project. Conflict arises and some of the young man’s actions take on a different meaning. When Josh raises moral and ethical questions, he ends up on the outs with the whole group. In fact, the movie seems a tad fearful of the young and laments their narcissistic qualities. It also suggests that some differences in age and attitude are simply irreparable.
The ending leaves a bit to be desired. For a movie about a couple who aren’t sure that they want the same things as others in their age group, their story is wrapped up in a manner that feels a bit too clean and traditional (although there is a funny final image that suggests that some of their issues with the young are likely to continue in the future).
Personally, while I’m not certain that I agree with the general sweeping sentiment on personal friendships between the young and old, While We’re Young is still a lot of fun. It effectively raises issues that many forty-somethings face today. And with witty banter and numerous thematic elements at play, there is a lot to chew on that can inspire plenty of discussion afterward. Fans of the director will be pleased with the results.