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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 9 November 2019
It’s a ‘Marriage Story,’ but about divorce

By LINDSEY BAHR plored in film, and make Henry (Azhy Robertson) to
Associated Press them feel fresh and more film a television pilot. He's
Noah Baumbach is a keen lifelike and lasting than staying in New York and
observer of life's banalities. even your own memories. taking the play that once
His films revel in the strange His worlds are ones you starred her to Broadway.
and wonderful and awk- feel like you already live They're breaking up and
ward things people say in, even if he's exploring they want to do so as pain-
and do in the course of an ugly moment that ev- lessly as possible. No law-
the day. But his real magic eryone would rather forget yers. Equal splits. Dream on,
is turning ordinariness into as soon as possible, as in Charlie and Nicole, even
cinema. his latest "Marriage Story ," nice divorces get ugly —
He can take that feeling which is actually about di- there's a whole industry
of post-graduate paralysis vorce. there to make sure of it.
or middle-age stasis, topics It's a subject that Baum- "Marriage Story" takes
that are not exactly unex- bach has taken on be- This image released by Netflix shows Scarlett Johansson, left, the audience deep into
and Adam Driver in "Marriage Story." this world, showing how
Associated Press two people fully invested
fore, in "The Squid and body. She moved to New in splitting amicably can
the Whale," although this York and their lives for the get swept up so easily in
time he's not coming at it next decade became in- animosity and legal chal-
through kids' eyes, but the tertwined, through work, lenges. And Baumbach
adults'. And it is a devas- marriage and a child, until has written and cast the
tating and hilariously au- it broke. There's not exactly divorce lawyers brilliantly,
thentic look at a fracturing one inciting source for the with a crackling Laura Dern
marriage, the casualties, split that we're ever privy as Nora, Nicole's lawyer.
the misunderstandings, the to, more like the culmina- Alan Alda plays the sweet,
feelings and the absurdities tion of 10 years' worth of life coddling option for Charlie.
of the legal system around that adds up to an unten- His alternative is an expen-
it. able unhappiness. sive bulldog played by Ray
The center of this story is We meet Nicole and Char- Liotta.
a couple, Nicole (Scarlett lie in this moment of sepa- Baumbach fills "Marriage
Johansson) and Charlie ration, but we're already in- Story" with a whole en-
(Adam Driver). She's an vested after hearing letters semble of memorable sup-
actress from Los Angeles. they've written about what porting characters who
He's an acclaimed New exactly they love about you only ever want to see
York theater director. They the other person. But even more of. Merritt Wever, as
met in the middle, when knowing these things, the Nicole's sister, Cassie, has
she was looking to escape film lets you quickly under- a wonderful scene with
her trajectory after a teen stand that this relationship the divorce papers. Julie
sex comedy and a too- has fully curdled. Hagerty plays Nicole's daf-
young engagement and She's going to Los Angeles fy and sweet actress moth-
he was a promising no- with their 8-year-old son er, Sandra. q

A$AP Rocky returns to Sweden months

after assault conviction

Swedish fans." The artist is
due to perform Dec. 11 at
Stockholm's Ericsson Globe
arena.
A$AP Rocky, whose real
name is Rakim Mayers,
was convicted of assault
for a June 30 street brawl
in Stockholm. He pleaded
self-defense, saying he
tried to avoid a confron-
tation with two men who
were following his entou-
rage.
On Aug. 14, Mayers and his
two bodyguards were giv-
en "conditional sentences,"
In this Feb. 9, 2019 file photo, A$AP Rocky attends the Pre- meaning they won't serve
Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons in Beverly Hills, Calif. prison time unless they
Associated Press commit a similar offense in
Associated Press sault in a street brawl. the future.
STOCKHOLM (AP) — A$AP Concert promoter Live Na- President Donald Trump
Rocky will perform in Swe- tion says the rapper will re- had weighed in to support
den several months after turn to Stockholm "after tre- the Grammy-nominated
he was convicted of as- mendous support from the recording artist.q