While We're Young

2015 - R - 1h37m

Brilliantly written, witty, very witty, 1/2 biting satire and the other half is as seriously straight as Ben Stiller can get, although possibly not possible.  He's always that visiting character Ben in Meet the Fokkers.  Does this help in this instance?  Yep, you bet, perfect casting.  Ben always seems to manage that edge of "I'm being screwed here", and he does it very well.

 

Could not have gotten closer to his opposition in the casting than with Adam Driver, and paired with Naomi Watts as his married partner in life.  

 

What I carried away the most from this was a truth that the industry...ok, wait, our entire social structure in these last 2 decades in particular...values youth above experience.  It's a well-known phenomenon aka age discrimination, aka gerontophobia.  It's sponsored by people who define what "prime" means.  But in truth, it's also a product of selfish ambition, which again, in this particular culture and over the last 20 years has been in great disproportion.

 

This is the story of a man and woman (both equally treated to a great degree here, although the story centers around the 2 male's initial relationship and goals) who are looking back with both longing, and celebration.  But mostly longing.  The loss of youth, the idea of being parents past, the pull of the need for success, the possibility of being fruitless in the face of dynamic personal effort...all play into how the story works when they meet the carefree, giving, inventive, selfless, seemingly original younger version of who they would like to be.  We think the magnet to be natural, but is it?  No spoilers here.

 

Great performances all around, very funny, dripping with irony and good spirits.  

- Agitatus