Marriage. Divorce. A son caught in the crossfire of two people who actually still kinda like each other.
When people talk about the Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson movie, they’re almost always talking about Marriage Story. It’s that 2019 Netflix juggernaut that basically took over every social media feed for three months. You probably remember the memes. The wall-punching. The shouting.
But honestly? Most people remember the "shouting match" and forget what the movie was actually trying to say.
The Reality of the Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson Movie
Noah Baumbach, the director, didn't just wake up and decide to write a depressing script. He’s lived it. He went through a high-profile divorce from Jennifer Jason Leigh back in 2013, and you can see those fingerprints all over the screen. Charlie (Driver) is a New York theater director. Nicole (Johansson) is an actress moving to LA. It’s specific. It’s raw.
And it’s deeply uncomfortable.
People often go into this thinking it’s a "breakup movie." It isn't. It’s actually a movie about the legal system. It's about how two people who want to be nice to each other are forced to become monsters by their lawyers. You've got Laura Dern playing this high-powered, silk-suit-wearing shark named Nora Fanshaw. On the other side, you’ve got Alan Alda as the sweet, slightly ineffective Bert, and Ray Liotta as the aggressive Jay.
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The system is the villain. Not Charlie. Not Nicole.
Why the "Wall Punch" Scene Went Viral
You know the one. The 11-page scene that took two days to film in a tiny, cramped Los Angeles apartment.
Charlie and Nicole start off trying to talk like adults. Within ten minutes, they are wishing death upon each other. It’s probably some of the best acting of the decade. Adam Driver actually punched a hole through a real wall (well, a reinforced one for the stunt). But what’s interesting is that the scene wasn't improvised. Baumbach is notorious for sticking to the script. Every "um," every "uh," every overlap was written down.
That’s why it feels so real. Real fights aren't poetic. They're messy. They’re repetitive.
Small Details You Probably Missed
The movie was shot on 35mm film by Robbie Ryan. This gives it a warm, slightly grainy texture that feels like a memory. If you look closely at the framing, Nicole is often placed near windows. She's looking out. She’s looking for a future in California. Charlie? He’s usually framed against solid walls. He’s stuck. He’s stubborn.
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He’s trapped in a New York mindset that doesn’t exist anymore.
- The MacArthur Grant: Charlie gets a "Genius Grant." He wants to use the money for his theater company. The lawyers want it for the divorce.
- The Haircut: The movie ends with Nicole cutting Charlie’s hair. It’s a callback to the beginning where he mentioned she always did it.
- The Letter: The opening narration is actually a letter they wrote for a mediator. Nicole refuses to read hers out loud at the start, which sets the whole tragedy in motion.
Is It Actually Based on a True Story?
Sort of.
Baumbach says it’s "personal, not autobiographical." But the parallels are hard to ignore. His ex-wife, Jennifer Jason Leigh, was also a Hollywood actress who worked with him in New York before they split. Baumbach even showed her the script before filming. Apparently, she liked it.
Scarlett Johansson was actually going through her own second divorce (from Romain Dauriac) when she met with Baumbach about the role. She famously said it felt like "fated" timing. You can feel that real-world exhaustion in her performance. She’s not just playing a character; she’s exorcising some demons.
The Budget vs. The Impact
For a "small" drama, this thing had some weight.
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- Budget: Roughly $18 million.
- Box Office: It only made about $2.3 million in theaters because Netflix focused on streaming.
- Awards: It cleaned up. Six Oscar nominations. Laura Dern actually won for Best Supporting Actress.
It’s a masterclass in how to use physical space. When they’re in New York, the apartment is cluttered but cozy. In LA, Charlie’s apartment is white, empty, and depressing. It looks like a hospital room for a dying relationship.
What to Do After Watching
If you haven't seen the Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson movie yet, or if you've only seen the memes, go back and watch it with the "system" in mind. Stop trying to pick a side. The movie isn't asking you to. It’s asking you to notice how easily love can be weaponized.
Next Steps for the Cinephile:
- Watch "The Squid and the Whale": This is Baumbach’s earlier film about his parents' divorce. It’s a perfect companion piece.
- Check out "Kramer vs. Kramer": This is the gold standard for divorce movies that Baumbach used as inspiration.
- Read the Screenplay: It’s available online and shows just how precise the dialogue really was.
Don't just watch the fight. Watch the opening five minutes again after you finish the movie. It changes everything. You realize that even when they’re screaming, they’re still the same people who loved the way the other person made tea or closed the cabinets. That’s the real tragedy. It’s not that they hate each other; it’s that they don’t know how to stop hurting each other.
Take a breath. It's a heavy one. But it’s worth the emotional baggage.