The Meyerowitz Stories.

Showing on Netflix.

Earlier this year there was a lot of (rightful) praise for Adam Sandler’s performance in Uncut Gems showing that there is an actor of quality, two years previous to this was the less well known (to me) The Meyerowitz Story  written and directed by Noah Baumbach a film again in which Sandler shows there is more to his acting range.

The film focuses on the Meyerowitz family which revolves around the patriarchal figure of Harold, a lecturer and frustrated artist and how his behaviour and attitude have affected those closest to him especially his three children played by Sandler, Elizabeth Marvel and Ben Stiller. When Harold becomes ill it forces the three of them together and the 2nd half of the film focuses on how they discover a family bond that had eluded them and the more they spend time together the more the realise the relationship with their father has affected their relationship and attitude on life.

It’s a darkly comedic exploration of those relationships carried by four solid performances in the central roles and a story that relies on the cinematic trope of taking the same story from multiple angles, but in Baumbachs hands it is well executed and gives you a better understanding of the perspective of each of the character’s and their relationships.

It’s not perfect, nor a light couple of hours entertainment, but it is a well put together story that kept me engaged and interested throughout with characters who you cared about or at least had sympathy for.

If you want to see Adam Sandler in something interesting but with less stress than Uncut Gems, this is worth checking out.