Greenberg
User Score
5.2 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 123 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 123
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 123
  3. Negative: 47 out of 123

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  1. NachoC.
    Apr 11, 2010
    9
    I feel the need to defend this film. I feel like I understood where Noah was getting at. The entire film was meant to be minimalist and awkward. Greenberg, being an unlikable character has to be unbearable, and the audience must feel the discomfort that the characters do on screen whenever he is present in a scene. The film is about the reality that most people grow up to be nothing and simply take up room. Greenberg felt as though he had some sort of life calling but chickened out and ruined it for the rest because he was selfish. He did nothing just as many people do here in real life. He was stuck in his past. In one scene which he is sitting with several teenagers he is essentially acting the same age as them; refusing to grow up and conversing about the contradicting ideologies of their generations. When a friend approaches him and tells him that he has come to "accept the life that he did not plan," Greenberg refutes his opinion. It is because most people cannot accept the irrefutable reality that is unpredictability and instead find it easier to find comfort in productivity. Greenberg was more of a mirror to 20-40 year old's than any other film I have ever seen. I recommend it 100%.… Expand
  2. MitchS.
    Mar 27, 2010
    9
    Excellent movie. Greta Gerwig is a true revelation. The dialog is fantastic. Definitely on a level with the director's other outstanding film, Margot at the wedding...
  3. JH
    Apr 1, 2010
    10
    Brilliant movie. SEINFELD meets ANTONIONI
  4. EvanS
    Apr 13, 2010
    10
    Easily one of my favorite movies of all time. This movie has an emotional depth like no other.
  5. ChrisM
    Apr 2, 2010
    9
    This movie isn't for everyone, but if you like indie type movies and enjoy quirky and sometimes dark humor, give this one a shot. Ben Stiller and all the other actors give great performances. His character is a self absorbed jerk, but I think many of us can find a little bit of ourselves in him if we take the time to look. It's not a feel good movie where you are rooting for the character and he overcomes his failings and ultimately redeems himself for a cheap dramatic payoff. It is just a good story with a valuable message to us all. Even if you don't take anything else away, it is still a damn funny movie.… Expand
  6. JRS.
    Apr 15, 2010
    10
    Another great film made by a interesting and intelligent director.. Obviously, this film is for people who are capable of abstract thought and not for the mindless dreck that encompasses most of America. If you didn't like this movie, you are not smart enough to be going to real films.. where u see this as boring, the thinking man will find truth in great writing and original thought. here's how you know I'm right: you went to see this movie because ben stiller is in it. sad sad sad.. how dumb people are.… Expand
  7. WaldoJ
    Mar 28, 2010
    10
    An excellent film, funny, moving, sharp, engrossing. Ben Stiller gives his best performance yet, and Greta Gerwig is an instant star with her excellent performance. It is a dark comedy, but in an odd way, it's director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and The Whale, Margot At The Wedding)'s most hopeful film.
  8. TerryM
    Apr 14, 2010
    9
    Much better than I thought, judging from the low reviews here. A moment in the life of a forty-year-old that probably rings true for many. (You know who you are).
  9. PieterQ
    Oct 25, 2010
    10
    Ben Stiller really proves to be a great actor. He makes you love and hate Greenberg at the same time. He has a very awkward personality, but in the other way you sympathise with him. The film's dark humor is very well thought of. Great script. I had a few laughs. If you like black comedies, this is a film you have to see. 2.0
  10. cleverwabbit
    Apr 3, 2011
    10
    Greenberg is a brutally honest and raw look at what is is like to wake up and be 40 and realize your life is not what you expected and you aren't who you thought you would be. Ben Stiller is excellent and shows he can be more than a one trick pony. This is first time I have actually forgotten Ben was Ben in a role. He is troubled frustrated, arrogant and abrasive, acting out and inappropriate. You have to wonder why Florence would find him attractive and keep coming back for more. Brilliantly written and shot, it showcases life in LA as only one who actually lives here knows it. Jennifer Jason Leigh produced the film and as in past collaborations with Noah Baumbach show they are auteurs of creating emotional train wrecks that make us uncomfortable but can't stop watching… Expand
  11. Evolutionary
    Jan 7, 2011
    9
    This should be nominated for Best Drama. Baumbach has a great skill in creating character nuance that is not always pleasant, but certainly realistic. Those unaware of their own personality blind spots will feel uncomfortable during this movie. However, Greenberg is fully formed and expertly played by Stiller. There is a part of Greenberg in all of us.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Richard Mowe
    60
    Although Ben Stiller’s brand of nervy comic ticks can prove irritating on occasions, here he is kept in check so that the humor and the pathos shine through.
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  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    70
    While winning no points for originality, Baumbach and his co-conspirator in the script, Jennifer Jason Leigh -- have created an all-too-convincing portrait of a 40-year-old man in emotional freefall.
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  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    70
    As a study of stasis and of people conscious of not living the lives they had imagined for themselves, the picture offers a bracing undertow of seriousness beneath the deceptively casual, dramatically offhand surface.
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