“Mistress America” (2015)
A sister and companion piece to both “Frances Ha” and “While We’re Young,” like the former, “Mistress America” explores the dynamics between two female friends, and like the latter it examines the dark side of ambition. But what separates “Mistress America” from Baumbach’s other witty and sharp observational works about (what some people see as) White People Problems, is a madcap screwball comedy energy and a nostalgic, all-things-are-possible ‘80s sheen (bolstered by a fantastic dreamy synth score by Dean & Britta). “Mistress America” centers on the tenuous nature of friendship, idolatry, the problems with protege/mentor relationships (another theme of late) all channelled through Brooke (Greta Gerwig); a New York multi-hyphenate and sophisticate with a veneer of indomitable confidence that masks a deep sense of her own fraudulence and lack of actual talent. Tracy (Lola Kirke), is the younger college bestie who through the film explores the nature of vampiric writing: the casualties that can occur when authors exploit their friends for material (shades of the final showdown in “Margot at the Wedding” here). Again, it’s endlessly charming and funny, but has a lot of texture underneath the zaniness and the bevy of classic bon mots. And perhaps that’s because the authorship of “Mistress America” actually skews closer to Gerwig than to Baumbach: she came up with the lead, she plays the lead and she co-wrote the movie, but that’s certainly no bad thing, lending the movie a fresh radiant energy that’s as irresistible as it is infectious. [B+]
Outside of these features, Baumbach has also written scripts, most notably for Wes Anderson with “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou” and “The Fantastic Mr Fox” and most bizarrely for 2012’s “Madagscar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.” He also toiled on the sadly defunct TV adaptation of Jonathan Franzen‘s “The Corrections” and further back directed a single episode of “Saturday Night Live,” as well as a half-hour short, “Conrad & Butler Take a Vacation” in 2000, which stars John Lehr and Baumbach regular Carlos Jacott (who pops up on TV most frequently these days). And coming up, Baumbach and Jake Paltrow collaborated on a documentary on Brian De Palma, which is one of the titles we’re looking forward to catching at the 2015 Venice Film Festival.
So how do you feel about Baumbach? Incisive, witty chronicler of modern malaise, or White-People-Problem fraud? Our own position is probably pretty clear, but sound off, or call out your own favorites in the comments below.
–Jessica Kiang, Nicholas Laskin, Rodrigo Perez