Mistress America

Although Mistress America is very much a New York movie, full of references to couture, pop culture, boutique hotels (to Antigone and Faulkner, too), its comic centerpiece is a brazen assault on a country compound.

Far from romanticizing creativity and the artistic process, Mr. Baumbach’s films portray the world of painters, filmmakers and literati as an overcrowded, amoral jungle of viperish entitled narcissists stealing from one another for fame and profit.

It would be unbearable if it weren’t so completely self-aware.

Mistress America is maybe Baumbach’s most probing consideration of the writer’s process and development, a continuing point of interest in his filmography, from "Kicking and Screaming" to "The Squid and the Whale" and "Margot at the Wedding."

Mistress America never falters in its case study of a complicated female friendship.

Gerwig is a magnetic actress, but it feels as if she’s overplaying it here. Even in Brooke’s best moments, she’s not all that charming or interesting.

From narrative to character development to staging, every frame of Mistress America drips with artifice. It's a playground for unpleasant, self-absorbed characters - an excursion into the lifestyles of people most of us would prefer to bypass. If there's an antonym for self-awareness, it applies to nearly everyone populating this misfire.

I don't normally give 10/10 but, I can't deny that this was probably the most fun I had in the theater all year. I laughed out loud. It's a very fun, heartfelt and smart movie. I really enjoyed watching 'Frances Ha' a couple years back, and that attracted me to this film. Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig really take it to a whole new level. The writing is so funny and sharp and interesting. It is sort of a 'teen' coming-of-age film, and I feel like it has a lot of the wit of John Hughes' best films. So many interesting and creative ideas come through in the dialog and editing. I love that a lot of the cliched scenes that we've come to expect are cut to a minimum in favor of unique, funnier scenes and ideas. It really helps the film feel fresh and unique and kept me really engaged. There's a little bit of overlap with Wes Anderson's films (I know him and Noah Baumbach work together a lot) in terms of character and dialog, but I really love the natural performances that Mr. Baumbach brings out of the actors. The film is shot very simply and beautifully, it feels slightly European. It really lets the script and actors shine. I see that not everyone enjoyed the film as much as I did... I can only speak for myself. I really loved it.

I think the step sister suffers from bipolar disorder or something similar. Greta seems a perfect fit for this role. Her step sister in college is 10 years younger and starts out as a nerdy student but expands her horizons when she hangs out with Greta. Interesting but hard to watch someone make bad choices, even if she can't help herself.

An occasionally humorous though frequently exhausting effort that strives, though never really succeeds, at being a contemporary screwball comedy. Much of the picture plays like a frenetically paced version of the director's previous offering, "Frances Ha," with themes that the filmmaker has plumbed several times before (and that have now grown tiresome and stale). Most of all, though, the characters' incessant whining and rampant irresponsibility make one want to scream "Grow up already!" at the images flickering on the screen (though they probably wouldn't listen, even if they could hear us).

this movie is so unpleasant. its woody allen meets wes anderson without research or point. characters are stagy, artificial, they even talk in rhythm pauses. everything that brought me to other baumbach is missing but the clichés. terrible on gerwig, the only stance might be the young kirke if she outgrows typecasting. terrible, indeed.

I've generally liked Noah Baumbach's films, and, having read the reviews of this one, I was looking forward to enjoying it. For the most part, however, I didn't. Although the principal actors work very hard, and it does have a few compelling moments, it's mostly a self-conscious, disjointed mess, particularly after the first 30 minutes. Unfortunately, it fails both as a comedy and as a drama, while flailing about in a desperate attempt to be both.