Greenberg (2010)

" I hope I die before I meet one of you in a job interview"

This is not your typical Ben Stiller movie at all. Stiller steps away from his usual safe roles and tries something different. Tries and succeeds. Roger Greenberg portrayed beautifully by Stiller is a manic depressive, lonely, and insecure early forty something New Yorker Greenberg is asked to watch over his younger and more successful brothers house in California. He meets Florence (Greta Gerwig), his brothers assistant and nanny, who is for all intents and purposes, a lost soul. Greenberg attempts to reconnect with lost friends, including Ivan (Rhys Ifans). Greenberg attempts to build a dog house for his brothers dog, puts up with the greedy neighbors using his brother's pool, and joins a party with a bunch twenty-somethings and ends up doing a line of cocaine in one of the funniest scenes of the film. Greenberg is content with doing nothing baring his own sarcasm as a means to an end. It is a shame more people did not see this, it is the Indie sleeper hit of 2010. Stiller and Gerwig both deserve nominations for their potrayals. This movie is not for everyone. As an Indie movie fan I enjoyed it a lot. It shows the fear of getting older, loves lost, and the redemption of one man whos trying to find himself. In short, Greenberg is a masterpiece but sadly one that will not get the recognition it deserves. 5/5 -tom