‘Love is messy. It’s illogical, it’s wasteful and it’s messy…’
I don’t really care for the work of Noah Baumbach. I find many of his films smug and meandering, mainly because he makes the lives of the upper classes seem so miserable. Maggie’s Plan is not a Baumbach film, but it does star his regular collaborator and former muse Greta Gerwig, and contains many of the same themes as much of his work. Happily, it’s also much better than most of his work…
John (Ethan Hawke) and Maggie (Gerwig) seem to be pretty happy. He is working on his debut novel and she has settled nicely into motherhood. The problem is that under the surface, they are falling out of love and John still has feelings for his ex-wife Georgette (Julianne Moore). As a way to find a resolution that works for everyone, Maggie hatches a plan.
A sparkling central cast then and one that is ably supported by Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph. In fact, my main criticism of Maggie’s Plan would be that considering director Rebecca Miller, working from her own script, has assembled such comic talent, Maggie’s Plan is rarely funny. Sure, it’s clever and wry, but it’s never really properly, laugh-out-loud funny. That being said, it’s an interesting premise and all of Hawke, Gerwig and Moore fully commit to the concept. Indeed, this film is further proof that while we have gained a great director in Greta Gerwig, we have lost a sterling leading lady.
Maggie’s Plan is basically a romcom for adults, and for that reason, your enjoyment of it will depend on your tolerance for the genre generally. Me? I enjoyed it while it was on, but I feel like I’ll never think of it again as long as I live.