The movie surprised me. I was not expecting the plot to take the turn it does. The acting is good, though I liked Ben Stiller and Adam Driver's performance way more than their feminine counterparts. The strange friendship between these two men and, particularly, the keen depiction of Josh's spiritual "infatuation" for Jamie (a character you won't easily forget) was among the things I liked best. There is something terribly cruel about the entire story, and the film is quite effective at striking more than one sore point. Not a masterpiece, but a clever movie- one the like I would see twice. What I can say is that the ending really did not convince me. I would have liked to see how plot could be developed and made more complex and, to be honest, less banal. After almost two hours of movie, I expect the story to reach a final compromise between the starting point and all the assessments either verified or countered by the events the spectator has witnessed. Instead, the characters have been only partially transformed by their experience: let us say that, if the goal of a story is to bring a character from A to D passing through B and C, it seems to me D is a mere copy of, say, B. On the other hand, the movie tells a lot about acceptance and humility: if regarded under this specific point of view, even a not completely satisfying ending acquires its sense, no matter how bittersweet is the impression the movie leaves you with.

Hard to tell. Did he set out to make fun of hipsters and middle aged people or does he secretly love them because they're fashionable upper middle class aesthetes, 'academics' and the cinema-class? Again hard to tell. Everyone has money and free time and no obligations....and they're miserable. And annoying. I'm kinda baffled. It's incisive in brief flashes but the dull parts that focus on dull people self referentially referring to themselves about themselves go on and on as if no one has ever discovered that most people are boring. We know they're boring. That's WHY we watch movies. We know couples that pour their lives into their kids. It's not a new thing. We know middle aged guys who are fools. But they know they're fools. If you don't know you're a fool then then you will always be a fool. A boring boring boring fool. Let's hope Noah's next movie is also about pompous intellectual film makers or maybe film critics. Or maybe college professors who teach film studies or film criticism.

I'm not sure about the niche or sub-category occupied by Noah Baumbach in indie cinema, but I have liked most of the films he has been involved in, either as a director (The Squid and the Whale, Frances Ha) or as a screenwriter (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox). In While We're Young, Baumbach occupies both positions, and I enjoyed the fascinating tour he offers us through the neurosis and internal turbulence from various picturesque characters on different stages of their lives very much. The clash between "hipsters" and "Gen-X" suggests the fact that While We're Young is a satire of the clichés which identify those social groups, one of them rising, and the other one, on its road to obsolescence... or at least passive complacency. And, effectively, there are some satire moments about the habits and affectations from both generations; but beyond those humorous comparisons, Baumbach built sincere and realistic characters who develop endearing connections with each other. The friendship between the young couple and the mature one seems strange on the beginning, but we eventually realize that both possess qualities complementing their respective emotional needs. The mature couple has experience and a better knowledge of the "real world", while the young one enjoy the energy of youth and isn't tied to a complex net of social or economic obligations, something which brings them an degree of freedom that is attractive for their mature friends. In summary, I found While We're Young an excellent character study with perfect performances from the whole cast, and with an interesting "personal crisis" premise solidly executed by Baumbach's melancholic sensibility. I liked this film very much, but I know that While We're Young has generally not found a good answer from critics and the general audience. Anyway, I would personally recommend it with enthusiasm, with the warning that it isn't a traditional Ben Stiller comedy. Sure, there's pretty much humor in the screenplay and the performances, but they never seek peals of laughter, but the astute observation of absurd or incongruent details which keep us amused while simultaneously leaving us thinking. In other words, don't expect the Stiller from Night at the Museum, but the one from Greenberg (which was curiously also written and directed by Baumbach). And don't expect a "feel good" ending either, but a "feel weird" one. That final scene is perfect for me to answer the eternal question "Why don't you have any children?".

I'd go as far to say that While We're Young is quite possibly indie auteur Noah Baumbach's most readily accessible and even mainstream film and with a bunch of winning performances is an on point comedy that has both something to say and something to prove even when its later stages derail slightly into something that feels out of place.Renowned for his quirky comedic character studies mixed with a deft hand of seriousness, Baumbach's greatest successes with films like The Squid and the Whale and Greenberg found the director more focused on the darkness rather than the light so it's great so see Baumbach throw caution to the wind here in this lively and spirit filled tale of 40 plus year old married couple Josh and Cornelia played by the unlikely yet in the end fun duo of Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts, who is a real joy to watch in a film that sees her free from the often seriousness of her other dramatic projects. Baumbach has hit the nail on the end with his skewering of the modern day trend of middle agers trying far too hard to still be hip and I'm sure as I'm privy to there are others out there that know people that will be recognisable in the characters of Josh and Cornelia.With his finger on the pulse to this new age conundrum Baumbach's film suffers when the films focus shifts to a commentary on the state of modern day documentary filmmaking, the film all of a sudden seeming to take on a soap box for Baumbach to stand on and shout from in regards to the movie making medium. He does this through the use of Stiller's Josh a struggling documentary maker who's internal struggles are amplified by his friendship with Adam Driver's energetic and carefree young hipster filmmaker Jamie the films strong opening stanza and scenes where Josh and Cornelia first start their friendship with Jamie and wife Darby are a league above the films later half hour and it's a shame that While We're Young doesn't finish in a stronger fashion.Filled with witty, true to life and socially sharp scenarios, While We're Young is one of the better comedies of the year that has both a winning cast and strong direction from Baumbach that is brought down by strange plot turns that end up adding up to a rather big letdown. Still, Baumbach has yet again reminded us that his one of the most on point social commentary minded film makers of the modern age, with an understanding of the minds of the young to middle aged population that ranks up there with the best of them.3 ½ trendy hats out of 5