White Noise

The best and most unbridledly joyful entertaining moment in Noah Baumbach’s big budget Netflix absurdist dramedy was the closing credits with the whole cast dancing to LCD Soundsystem’s “New Body Rhumba” in a supermarket. And even that, “Pachinko” did it better with their opening credits. 

That says a lot about Baumbach’s latest Lynchian-like horror/sci-fi family drama that was actually just a Trojan horse for his usual marital drama. Kudos to him for venturing out of his wheelhouse and comfort zone, but unfortunately it was more miss than hit with its absurdist bent that tried to cover too much ground. It ended up being interesting but distant, with no emotional connection or relatability. 

Every character was a caricature of some form and laden with unnecessary exposition and dialogue that Baumbach tried to pass off as banter rather unsuccessfully. Again, it says a lot when the kids were more interesting than the adults. 

Adam Driver did his best but his character was neither relatable or sympathetic, and this wasn’t a role Greta Gerwig was meant to play. Perhaps it was just Baumbach’s direction and purpose to have his leads be as exaggerated as the 80s the show was set in, but it just grated. And boy, was Jodie Turner-Smith wasted.

Unfortunately, other than a shot for a Best Song nominee, “White Noise” was mostly just that.