Friday, August 21, 2015

Mistress America Movie Review

Greta Gerwig and Lola Kirke (r) star in Mistress America

Aces and Angst

IMDb Plot: A lonely college freshman's life is turned upside down by her impetuous, adventurous soon-to-be stepsister (Greta Gerwig.) Directed by Noah Baumbach.


It's fun to see the substantially more playful side of Gerwig, who's nothing short of adorable in Mistress America. From her grandiose entrance (Times Square, of course) to a disastrous sales pitch (to her ex-boyfriend and his wife) Gerwig steals the show as the self-absorbed muse of Tracy (Lola Kirke.) Tracy just wants to grow up, while Gerwig struggles to stay relevant, "I'll wind up doing something depressing, but young." Baumbach's prose is wonderful, "Television is the new novel," and nobody channels young-adult angst better. It's a terrific combination, one that cements his status as the new/next Woody Allen.

GradeB