“While We’re Young” is a Coming of Age Story About the Middle Aged
By JOEY HEFFERAN
Video Editor
“The Master Builder,” written by Hendrik Ibsen includes several lines of dialogue involving the master’s annoyance at those constantly knocking on his door and his apprentice’s suggestion to simply open the door and let them in. These lines are seen at the onset of “While We’re Young” and serve to illustrate the central focus of this masterfully honest film that reminds critics and common movie viewers alike why everyone loves cinema.
“While We’re Young,” directed by Noah Baumbach, focuses on the lives of Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts), a childless couple in their 40’s that has all but lost their spark. An issue further compounds by their inability to accept that they are only getting older by the day. This then leads the duo to befriend Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried), a 25-year-old couple that seems to exist as everything Noah and Cornelia wish they could be. The rest of the film focuses on the humorous and ultimately unexpected interactions between these two couples, which have far more in common than what meets the eye.
Throughout the film viewers are exposed to one of the most honest interpretations of life as it exists today through the highly relatable characters that Baumbach creates with his star studded line up, and their humorous yet relevant observations. At one point Josh notes that everything they once were worried about happening when they got older is actually happening now. This in turn leads to a coming of age story about the middle aged. At the same time the growing similarities between seemingly different characters drives home the fact that in the end, everyone has the same desire to live life to the fullest, yet it is what people are actually willing to do to achieve this that ultimately defines peoples’ characters.
“While We’re Young” is truly a cinematic piece of work. While most theaters are dominated by high-octane action sequences, often-unnecessary sex appeal and special effects, this film stands in stark contrast as a raw but compellingly honest interpretation of life as people know it. Ben Stiller and company brought back cinema in its purest form and the result is absolutely brilliant.
Make sure to check out this film in theaters now.
