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Blu-ray Review: While We're Young

A film full of sharp dialogue and fascinating, honest conversations is sure to elicit plenty among the audience, as While We’re Young presents to use the insecurities and desires of couples from different generations.

From writer and director Noah Baumbach comes the story of Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts); in their early forties, their friends have kids and wonder when they are next, but an encounter with a young and curious couple finds the two trying new things.

They met Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried) a married pair in their twenties that are as inventive as they are peculiar. Like Josh, Jamie is a documentarian filmmaker, and the two quickly bond while Darby and Cornelia take a liking to each other as well.

A funny dynamic turns into an awkward one and then leads to more serious issues, as Josh contemplates how to conclude a ten-year-old project and Cornelia grapples with the inability to have a child. Meanwhile, Jamie and Darby’s influence is suspect, and yet another relationship reveals itself between Josh and his award-winning father-in-law (Charles Grodin).

Sharply written and contemplative, While We’re Young never looks to be outlandish or over the top, instead pointing to simple, little things in life that might seem comfortable to some, and strange to others. Neither couple is perfect though; through intriguing conversations and discovery, While We’re Young provokes and endears.

The regarded film comes to Blu-ray this week, offering a film that is interesting to return to every so often, but not much else. Here’s what else you get:

Interviews: Baumbach and the cast offer brief thoughts about the story and characters, though more superficial than anything else. Baumbach, as the writer of the story, provides more insight, but of course it is his vision after all. Grodin is particularly interesting to hear speak about the film, as is Stiller.

Featurette: Amanda Seyfried and Naomi Watts discuss their two favourite scenes respectively, focusing more on the fun it was to create than the technicality or process of it. Similar to the interviews, this offering is short and sweet, but not particularly compelling.

Anthony Marcusa

A pop-culture consumer, Anthony seeks out what is important in entertainment and mocks what is not. Inspired by history, Anthony writes with the hope that someone, somewhere, might be affected.