If someone were to represent Britain as a woman, no doubt she would be 50 years older than Greta Gerwig and constantly looking back to a long gone heyday, yet haunted by dark secrets from the past.
But this is Mistress America, a comical personification of the American Dream, with some (but not too much) American reality thrown in. She chases the money, markets herself, engages in risky financial enterprises with bad follow through and finally reaps the inevitable lack of reward. In this, Baumbach seems to be suggesting America will have a similar fate, yet he is happy to watch the flame while it burns. The world is turning and Mavericks are dying out. Tracy (Lola Kirke) charts this demise with honesty and affection in the same way Baumbach is writing about America here.
It's in this allegorical approach the film shows most promise and offers more evidence of a change of style from Baumbach. But there is his safety zone, the middle class comedy of manners, the exuberant, wittily written dialogue. All very watchable, but what it amounts to in this love letter to America, it's hard to say. And Baumbach continues his habit of copping out at the end - neither Tracy nor Brooke really change, even when they apparently forgive each other. The last lines in the film are especially odd, I won't divulge them, but if you understand the angle of my review that Brooke is really America, you'll see what I mean.
However, I hope Baumbach continues his progression and hopefully returns to the excellence of Margot At The Wedding territory.
But this is Mistress America, a comical personification of the American Dream, with some (but not too much) American reality thrown in. She chases the money, markets herself, engages in risky financial enterprises with bad follow through and finally reaps the inevitable lack of reward. In this, Baumbach seems to be suggesting America will have a similar fate, yet he is happy to watch the flame while it burns. The world is turning and Mavericks are dying out. Tracy (Lola Kirke) charts this demise with honesty and affection in the same way Baumbach is writing about America here.
It's in this allegorical approach the film shows most promise and offers more evidence of a change of style from Baumbach. But there is his safety zone, the middle class comedy of manners, the exuberant, wittily written dialogue. All very watchable, but what it amounts to in this love letter to America, it's hard to say. And Baumbach continues his habit of copping out at the end - neither Tracy nor Brooke really change, even when they apparently forgive each other. The last lines in the film are especially odd, I won't divulge them, but if you understand the angle of my review that Brooke is really America, you'll see what I mean.
However, I hope Baumbach continues his progression and hopefully returns to the excellence of Margot At The Wedding territory.