While We’re Young

While We’re Young casts Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts as Josh and Cornelia, a married couple whose routine, childless existence is shaken up by their newfound friendship with a pair of twentysomething hipsters (Adam Driver’s Jamie and Amanda Seyfried’s Darby) – with the film first detailing the changes Josh and Cornelia begin making in their relationship and, eventually, Josh’s efforts at helping Jamie put together his documentary debut. Filmmaker Noah Baumbach has infused much of While We’re Young with a loose, freewheeling quality that’s impossible to resist, with the unusual dynamic between the movie’s four protagonists undoubtedly going a long way towards perpetuating the compulsively watchable atmosphere. It’s clear, too, that the picture benefits substantially from the virtually flawless performances among the quartet of stars, and there’s certainly no denying the effectiveness and entertainment value of various sequences in which Josh and Cornelia attempt to ape the behavior and attitude of their younger cohorts. While We’re Young‘s engaging, captivating vibe persists right up until around the one-hour mark, after which point the film’s plot, spurred on by a fairly underwhelming twist, becomes far more conventional and predictable than one might’ve hoped – although, to be fair, the inclusion of a poignant last-minute conversation between Stiller and Watts’ respective characters ensures the whole thing ends on a positive note. The end result is a typically erratic endeavor from a hit-and-miss filmmaker, with While We’re Young‘s successful attributes ultimately outweighing its more overtly negative ones (and it really is a shame about that third act).

*** out of ****