The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
The brief
Noah Baumbach traps three middle-aged sons in a cramped New York apartment with their self-absorbed artist father, and the result feels like being stuck at your most exhausting family dinner for two hours. Adam Sandler delivers his best dramatic work since Punch-Drunk Love, playing wounded and passive-aggressive with surprising depth, while Ben Stiller perfects his neurotic control-freak persona. The dialogue crackles with the kind of overlapping, half-finished conversations that make you squirm with recognition. If you loved the uncomfortable family dynamics in Marriage Story or can handle films where everyone talks over each other and nothing really gets resolved, this hits that same nerve.
The verdict
If you appreciate uncomfortable family dynamics and can handle films where characters constantly interrupt each other without clear resolution, this is a expertly crafted showcase for Adam Sandler's dramatic range and Baumbach's sharp dialogue. If you prefer movies with traditional plot structures or find dysfunctional family conversations more exhausting than entertaining, you'll likely feel trapped in someone else's therapy session.
Watch with
- 👫 Perfect for solo viewing or with a partner who appreciates character studies
- ⚠️ Skip if you find neurotic family arguments exhausting
Heads up
- Emotionally distant/neglectful parenting themes (moderate)
- Characters dealing with depression and life disappointment (moderate)
- Brief hospital scenes and injury aftermath (brief)
Credits
- Director
- Noah Baumbach
- Cast
- Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Elizabeth Marvel, Grace Van Patten, Candice Bergen
Official synopsis
An estranged family gathers together in New York for an event celebrating the artistic work of their father.
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Both explore damaged men reconnecting with fractured family relationships.
Total runtime: 1h 52m + 1h 29m = 3h 21m
