Movie Review - WHITE NOISE

Oscar Nominated for his screenplay for THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, Writer/Director Noah Baumbach often lists Woody Allen as one of his influences and in his latest work, WHITE NOISE, this influence shines through strongly.

Mis-advertised by NETLFLIX as an existential disaster movie, WHITE NOISE is typical Baumbach - heavy on dialogue, angst and the ponderings of the meaning and reason for life all set in an absurdist reality, while short on action. These types of films are not for everyone and Baumbach’s wit and style are an acquired taste.

And…for this film…the taste was very satisfying.

Starring perennial Baumbach actors, Oscar Nominees Adam Driver (MARRIAGE STORY) and Greta Gerwig (writer/director of LADYBIRD), White Noise is based on the acclaimed Don Dellilo novel and is a satirical/absurdist look into Academia (he’s a College Professor who is the leading authority on “Hitler Studies”), death (she is obsessed with trying to not to do that) and marriage (to say their marriage is rocky is an understatement). When an airborne “toxic event” alters their comfortable living, the film also can’t help but being a commentary on the recent pandemic - though this film (and the novel) are set in 1984.

One has to be in the mood for this sort of cinema - and when I settled in to check out this movie on Netflix, the mood of the film and my mood matched perfectly and I was able to be swallowed up into this absurdist world. Which is one that is not easy to be swallowed up into. Because as is the case with Baumbach’s films, White Noise is all dialogue, filled with existential angst, pondering the meaning of life while punctuated with absurd situations…and they fit together well.

Driver, as one expects, is terrific in the lead role - and that’s a good thing for he is in almost every scene in the movie. Gerwig fares less well - but that might be more the fault of the screenplay than her performance. The only other performer/performance worth noting is Don Cheadle as another Professor at the College that Driver’s character works.

You’ll either praise Baumbach’s work on this one - or will switch the movie off in the first half hour. I wouldn’t blame you if you did, but if you hang in there and catch the feeling of this film, you’ll be rewarded with an interesting, absurd thought piece on life…and death.

Oh…and don’t miss the Dance Performance Art that plays during the end credits.

You read that right. Which is a fitting capstone for this interesting character-driven satire.

Letter Grade: B

7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)