As the offspring of comedians Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, Ben Stiller has been mocked for being a neurotic Jew for most of his life. In his new indie flick, Greenberg, he has finally taken on the role full-force.
Roger Greenberg (Stiller) is a schizophrenic forty-something carpenter living in New York who travels to Los Angeles to house-sit for his younger brother Phillip Greenberg (Chris Messina), a successful young businessman in Vietnam, with his family for six weeks.
Recently released from a mental hospital and unwilling to drive a car, Roger must largely depend on his friend and former bandmate, Ivan Schrank (Rhys Ifans), and his brother's personal assistant, Florence Marr (Greta Gerwig), to not only drive him around but to keep him sane.
Although he is getting older, Roger does his best to deny that fact and his past mistakes. He gets in arguments with his former bandmates about the record deal they passed up in their twenties because Roger wasn't comfortable with it - arguably the biggest mistake of his life.
He also parties with his brother's college-age daughter and begins a romantic relationship with Florence, constantly confusing her with his on-again, off-again, schizophrenic attitude, attempting to be a domineering, studly lover at some points and acting like a cowardly little boy who runs away in fear at others.
Comprised of a lot of smaller, seemingly insignificant life moments that add up to the bigger picture, Stiller, Marr and Ifans act well in this film, turning their characters into genuine people with problems we can all relate to. While not the usual, quirky Ben Stiller comedy, Greenberg should still be admired by fans of his work, and perhaps by those who may normally be turned off by him.
Kelly Kettering is a senior studying journalism. E-mail her your thoughts at kk150206@ohiou.edu
3 Culture
Kelly Kettering
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Review
Greenberg
Starring: Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans
Rated: R for some strong sexuality, drug abuse and language
Run time: 1:47
Summary: Ben Stiller plays schizophrenic carpenter Roger Greenberg in this indie flick about getting older and the life choices that get you there.
