MOVIE REVIEW - While We're Young

Now here's a good example of a movie that the critics are going to love, and the audience is going to be like..ehh. The new Ben Stiller Indy comedy, While We're Young.

This is a small piece that is a really nice idea, but the total execution here is not quite as good as that idea.  Meet Josh (Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts).  They are a married couple in their mid-forties who tried unsuccessfully to have children.  As their best friends begin to have babies, they find themselves in a world alone.  They are unable and unwilling to embrace the new lifestyle of their friends, and so they set out to start a new kind of life.

They befriend a young hipster couple named Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried).  They are 20 years or so younger, and live a millennial lifestyle that initially is very appealing, especially to Josh who seems to be battling a bit of mid-life crisis.  They adopt the habits of their new friends, all the while being dropped from their old circle of friends.  But soon Josh and Cornelia begin to see that Jamie and his devious ways are not as appealing as they originally thought, and this may be a one way friendship after all.  In short, this is a drama, and a comedy that puts our stars in limbo caught between 2 worlds. Where will they fit in?

There is a lot to like here as this movie is really relevant.  This is a movie that showcases the generation gap between many generations. It shows the differences between age groups and their values and really brings into focus how fast things are changing, and how a middle aged couple can find themselves without a "home" in a short period of time.  They develop great characters here, and the story paces along very well.  You do find yourself picking sides, and you can get tossed deep into this story.

Naomi Watts is absolutely fantastic in this movie.   She is so versatile in every role she accepts.  I have really liked her choices and her performances the past few years.  Here she is spot on  believable, charming, and at times really, really funny.  There are some scenes here where she is physically very funny and made people really laugh out loud.  She is the best thing in this movie. Stiller is fine, and I applaud him for continuing to try to branch out and do different roles to make his resume a bit more legit.  Reinvention can be tough though, and he still is goofy Ben Stiller at times.

While We're Young.  This is a niche audience movie, that is worth the trip.   This is a movie goers movie that overall is well done. Watts is worth the price of the ticket.