Elvis Mitchell: “You’ve made a film where art has replaced religion… The artist, played by Dustin Hoffman, feels patronized by the world. [Through his dialogue] he’s a narcissist writing history as it happens, as if no one around him is living it at the same time.”
Noah Baumbach: “Dustin told me that his lines were hard to remember because they referenced nothing external, but were all self-referential self-assessments… The best compliment I ever got was from Mike Nichols…”
Mitchell: “Well… ” [laughs]
Baumbach: “Nichols said, ‘You realize how embarrassed we all are.’ ”
(Conversation from the October 12 LACMA screening of Baumbach’s THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED), which was followed by a Q & A with Mitchell, curator of Film Independent at the museum.)
Embarrassment—recognized and shared—is always a delight in a room full of fellow movie-goers watching a new comedy by Noah Baumbach. And while Baumbach is happy for his current Netflix association, he’d prefer that you see his work in a cinema.
THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED), through October 26.
LANDMARK, 10850 West Pico Boulevard, Rancho Park, Los Angeles.
landmarktheatres.com/los-angeles/the-landmark/film-info/the-meyerowitz-stories
LAEMMLE NOHO, 5240 Lankershim Boulevard, North Hollywood.
Opening Friday, October 27:
LAEMMLE MONICA FILM CENTER, 1332 2nd Street, Santa Monica.
TOWN CENTER, 17200 Ventura Boulevard, Encino.
THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED), now streaming on Netflix.
Noah Baumbach (left) and Elvis Mitchell at LACMA, October 12, 2017. Image courtesy of WireImage and Film Independent.
