Marriage Story is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach, who also produced the film with David Heyman. It stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple going through a bi-coastal divorce complicated by custody issues surrounding their son. Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, and Merritt Wever appear in supporting roles. Announced in November 2017, with the cast joining that same month, the film was shot in New York City and Los Angeles between January and April of the following year. Netflix released the film, which premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2019, and began a limited theatrical release on November 6, followed by digital streaming on December 6. The film received critical acclaim, particularly for Baumbach's direction and screenplay, and the performances of Johansson, Driver, and Dern. Among its numerous accolades were six nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Driver), Best Actress (Johansson), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score. For her performance, Dern won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Award and Critics' Choice Movie Award, all in the Best Supporting Actress category.
Plot Charlie Barber, a successful theater director in New York City with his own theater company, is helming a play that stars, as usual, his wife of ten years, Nicole, who is a former teenage movie actress. The couple is experiencing marital troubles and sees a mediator, who suggests they each write down what they love about one another, but Nicole is too embarrassed to read hers aloud, and they decide to forgo counseling. When Nicole is offered a starring role in a television pilot in Los Angeles, she decides to leave Charlie's company and go to live with her mother in West Hollywood, taking their son, Henry, with her. Thinking the separation will only be temporary, Charlie remains in New York, as his play is moving to Broadway. Despite the couple agreeing to split amicably and forgo lawyers, Nicole—encouraged by her producer—hires Nora Fanshaw, a high-profile family lawyer, who gets Nicole to open up about how she gradually felt neglected by Charlie and how he rejects her ideas and desires. Nicole also suspects that Charlie slept with Mary Ann, his stage manager. Excited by the news that he has won a MacArthur Fellowship grant, Charlie visits Nicole's family in LA, and she serves him with divorce papers. He meets with Jay Marotta, a brash and expensive lawyer who urges Charlie to fight dirty, but Charlie returns to New York without hiring Jay. After receiving a phone call from Nora, who warns him to get a lawyer soon or risk losing custody of Henry, Charlie returns to LA and hires Bert Spitz, an empathetic older lawyer who favors a civil and conciliatory approach. On Halloween, which Charlie spends in LA, Henry mentions to Charlie that Nicole wants to stay in California permanently. Charlie calls Nicole and angrily interrogates her, and Nicole reveals she hacked his emails and found proof of his affair with Mary Ann. Bert counsels Charlie to rent an apartment in LA to strengthen his custody case. To avoid going to court, Bert and Charlie meet with Nora and Nicole. Nora says Charlie refused to respect Nicole's wishes to move back to LA and claims Henry would prefer to stay with his mother rather than fly back and forth between coasts. Bert advises Charlie to give in on this point, but Charlie does not want to be separated from his son, so he fires Bert. Using the first installment of his fellowship grant, Charlie hires Jay. In court, Nora and Jay argue aggressively on behalf of their clients, leading to a series of character assassinations. Nora highlights Charlie's emotional distance and past infidelity, while Jay exaggerates Nicole's drinking habits and threatens criminal action for hacking Charlie's emails. Meanwhile, Nicole and Charlie try to remain friendly out of court and share time with Henry, who is increasingly annoyed by the back-and-forth. Disillusioned with the legal process, the couple decide to meet in private, but their good intentions do not keep the discussion from escalating dangerously. Nicole scathingly claims that Charlie has now fully merged with his own selfishness, and Charlie confesses that he wishes Nicole was dead. Charlie breaks down in tears and apologizes, and Nicole comforts him. Shortly after their argument, they reach an agreement and finalize the divorce. However, Nora negotiates slightly better terms for Nicole behind her back, causing Nicole to feel uncomfortable. The following Halloween, Charlie again comes to LA. He learns Nicole has a new boyfriend and is nominated for an Emmy Award for directing an episode of her television series. He informs her that he has taken a residency at UCLA and will therefore be living in LA for a while. While everyone is changing into their costumes, Charlie discovers Henry reading the list of things Nicole loves about Charlie that she wrote during mediation. Henry asks Charlie to read the rest aloud to him, and Charlie does so, becoming emotional as Nicole, unnoticed, watches from the doorway. After trick-or-treating, Nicole offers to let Charlie take Henry home, even though it is her night. She notices Charlie's shoe is untied, and, as his arms are full carrying Henry, ties it for him before he leaves.
Cast
Matthew Maher, Gideon Glick, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Raymond J. Lee, Mary Wiseman, and Becca Blackwell appear in the film as unnamed actors in Charlie's theater group.
Production The premise for the film first came to Baumbach in 2016, while he was in post-production on The Meyerowitz Stories. He began to research the subject and met with three-time collaborator Driver to discuss the role. In November 2017, it was announced Driver, Johansson, Laura Dern, Merritt Wever, and Azhy Robertson were set to star in the film, with David Heyman producing under his Heyday Films banner, and Netflix producing and distributing. In March 2018, Kyle Bornheimer joined the cast of the film, and that June it was announced that Ray Liotta had also been cast. Principal photography began on January 15, 2018, and lasted 47 days through April 2018. Filming took place in both New York City and Los Angeles.
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