Greenberg is a clever, cautious and ultimately beautiful film which benefits from the twin talents of Ben Stiller and Greta Grewig under Noah Baumbach’s assured direction.

Fans of the director will find his new film replete with understated performances and a naturalistic tone, rendered here wonderfully. Equally, detractors won’t be converted, but this is not Baumbach’s film, that honour goes to one of the actors.

The overriding theme of Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg is stated and restated by Ben Stiller’s character, the titular Roger Greenberg, as he is buffeted and harrassed by friends old and new. ‘I’m just trying to do nothing right now’ is his stock response, and much of the film pivots on the cause and effect of this inaction.

It begins as Florence’s story, Greta Gerwig impressing effortlessly in every moment on screen, and it is her relationship with her employee’s brother (Stiller) which leads us through the film, from their initial awkwardness to their blossoming relationship and entwining lives. Greenberg, believing himself to have his demons bloodied and left behind him after a voluntary spell in hospital comes to realise that he is not ready to face the future, but with Florence a future presents itself.

Greta Gerwig is the star of this film, illuminating those whom she orbits. Though the painfully erosive lack of self esteem threatens to overwhelm her character at each turn it is her ability to appear completely without artifice that disarms; her nakedness is a masterclass in naturalistic acting, and her woman on the edge of nervous laughter is worth the price of the admission. Her performance as Florence is so important to the film as the merest hint of an agenda from wither Gerwig or Baumbach would shatter the illusion.

It is easy to become passive while watching this film, as its fabric is made up of the merits of an inactive life, but Greenberg’s steady momentum allows the characters to crackle and spark off each other, never losing the audience during the time they spend focusing inwards. Witness the moment old friends and one time bandmates Greenberg and Rhys Ifans’s Ivan meet up after years apart and I struggled to think of a time either actor had done better work, and this was just one moment among many.

It is only when a film like this comes along that we get a reminder of the ability that Ben Stiller has, that he is so much more than his blockbusting persona offers, and while franchise hopping will keep him solvent I hope he takes this detour again. Baumbach understands the power of an understated performance and manages to keep Stiller’s comedy rage at bay here, giving his emotional one man tug-of-war resonance which plays perfectly with Jennifer Jason Leigh (Baumbach’s co-writer and cast as Greenberg’s one that got away), Ifans and, of course, Gerwig.

It is the love story of Greenberg and Florence, but there is so much more to it than that. Baumbach and Stiller combine to make Greenberg a loathsome yet disarming character and the film is at its best when the small details of their affair are played out.

They bond over a sick dog, break up over Florence’s ‘racy’ past (a story told of an inconsequential night out which goes wrong is Gerwig’s triumph – seriously, I wanted to stop the film and have the projectionist play it back – it is that good) and their strange chemistry engages on a visual and emotional level as we watch the attraction and repelling go back and forth.

Seriously, just go and see it. It’s worth your time. If this is your first time seeing Greta Gerwig in a film you’ll fall in love, mumblecore mainstream or not, Greenberg is a treat, and sits among the towering blockbusters of this summer waiting to be discovered.

Greenberg is out in the UK tomorrow, so there’s no excuse.

Noah Baumbach’s triumphant return to the cinema sees Ben Stiller give an amazing performance as Roger Greenberg, a reclusive, introverted failed musician searching for a guiding light, whom he finds in the painfully shy Florence (Greta Gerwig).

Greenberg is their story, and is out in UK cinemas on the 11th of June, and to celebrate we’ve got some prizes to give away.

The main prize is a goodie bag which includes a t-shirt, a journal and a soundtrack CD by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. There are three copies of the soundtrack CD for the runners up.

To be in with a chance to win you need to become a fan of HeyUGuys and Greenberg on Facebook (if you have an account) and answer the following question using the form below.

Complete the title for this previous Noah Baumbach film: The Squid and the ______.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only.
• Only one entry per household will be counted.
• The competition will close Friday 18th June at 23.59 GMT.
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received.

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Here’s the synopsis for the film,

Greenberg brings actor Ben Stiller together with Academy Award-nominated writer/director Noah Baumbach (“The Squid and the Whale”) to tell the funny and moving tale of Roger Greenberg.

Roger Greenberg [Ben Stiller], single, fortyish and at a crossroads in his life, finds himself in Los Angeles, house-sitting for six weeks for his more successful/married-with-children brother. In search of a place to restart his life, Greenberg tries to reconnect with old friends including his former band mate Ivan [Rhys Ifans]. But old friends aren’t necessarily still best friends, and Greenberg soon finds himself spending more and more time with his brother’s personal assistant Florence [Greta Gerwig], an aspiring singer and also something of a lost soul. Despite his best attempts not to be drawn in, Greenberg and Florence manage to forge a connection, and Greenberg realizes he may at last have found a reason to be happy.

Here’s the new trailer for Ben Stiller’s latest movie, Greenberg which is directed by Noah Baumbach. The movie also stars Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Messina, Brie Larson, Juno Temple and is directed by Noah Baumback.

Greenberg seems to have moved away from Stiller’s usual style of comedy and has become somewhat darker than we’re used to. I’ve added the trailer below the synopsis. Let us know what you think in the comments below. You can check out this trailer in HD on the Apple website.

Greenberg (Ben Stiller) is at a crossroads in his life. Out of a job and none too interested in finding one, he agrees to housesit for his younger and more successful brother, thereby getting a free place to stay in Los Angeles. Once settled in, Greenberg sets out to reconnect with his old friend and former bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans). But times have changed, and old friends aren’t necessarily still best friends, so Greenberg finds himself spending more and more time instead with his brother’s personal assistant Florence (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring singer and herself something of a lost soul. As their relationship develops through a series of embarrassingly awkward romantic encounters, even someone as irascible as Greenberg might have at last found a reason to be happy.

You know when you go to the cinema and you’re sat next to a friend or partner who asks you what’s going on every few minutes, well, this movie would be one to beware of in the cinema or at home. The main reason for that is because you too will probably struggle to understand entirely what is indeed happening from start to finish!

Think of the strangest film you’ve ever seen and times that by ten and you might get somewhere close to the bizarre movie that is, Synecdoche, New York.

Directed by Charlie Kaufman and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman (Caden), Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest and Jennifer Jason Leigh, the movie is about a man who builds a life-size part of New York and lives there along with his actors who all play out his life. It’s probably no surprise to you when I tell you that Kaufman has previously written Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – both strange films in themselves but I think I understood what was going on more in those than in this one. The film is very desolate and follows the journey of a man who is struggling with his family, his health and life in general. He appears to have the usual problems of family life, but as the film develops, many more characters become entangled in these problems as this dark comedy unfolds.

The set design is truly spectacular. I haven’t yet worked out if the movie was shot on set or on-location in New York. Either way, the set design was amazing and the scope of the project that Caden (Seymour Hoffman) creates is realised in Kaufmann’s head, let alone in ours.

Seymour Hoffman puts in an amazing performance but then again, when doesn’t he? The supporting cast are magnificent, especially Emily Watson, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton and Tom Noonan, who I’ve not seen in a movie since he appeared as the grim reaper in Last Action hero back in 1993! Love that movie! Probably because it’s more my intellectual level! All of the casting was great with no one spoiling the film, however I did get a bit lost with all the new character appearing towards the end of the film. There are some very strange events that occur during the film, and with some films you can work out without much trouble the symbolism behind these. But this film is quite quirky and illogical, with houses on fire that don’t burn down and a huge warehouse full of peoples’ lives. The film is very much about self-discovery, and the idea of death is very prevalent throughout the film.

I’m still not entirely sure what happened in Synecdoche but that doesn’t spoil it. I’m glad I saw it as i think it’s one of those movies you can recommend to your friends just so you can discuss it and hope they might be able to tell you what exactly what was going on! Please, if someone does understand it, can they let me know!

Synecdoche New York is out on DVD and Blu Ray 12th October. I’ve embedded the trailer below too….