The film, Marriage Story, written and directed by Noah Baumbach, tells the story of a stage director and an actress struggling with a messy, coast-to-coast divorce starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Both leads deliver amazing performances full of rich and raw emotion. Laura Dern delivers another sharp performance as well, similar to her character in the television show, Big Little Lies.
Dern represents Johansson in the custody battle over their young son. She successfully plays a ruthless lawyer that knows the California court system and will stop at nothing to win her case. Ray Liotta appears in the film as Driver’s lawyer, matching the same ruthless aura ready to engage in a showdown with Dern in the courtroom while neither Johansson nor Driver’s characters want their divorce to end so messy. Personally, I think Adam Driver could take home several awards for Best Actor, but I do not think Scarlett Johansson’s acting stood out among the other performances. Johansson’s performance was good and still full of emotion, but I found myself not really connecting with her character as much. During her monologue with Dern about her marriage, Johansson goes on for minutes talking about emotions specifically, but I still couldn’t sympathize or empathize with her. Marriage Story is the classic Oscar drama that is geared towards middle-aged audiences. With several Golden Globe nominations so far for Best Actor, Actress, Script, and Best Original Score, it can be predicted that Marriage Story will take home a few Oscars as well.