The Irishman may be the Netflix’s most buzzed about movie of 2019, but it’s Marriage Story that’s actually the streaming service’s best film this year. It’s been another landmark year for Netflix’s original movies, having won a number of Oscars for Roma back in February, and they’re now well set to repeat that success (and perhaps even expand on it) with both The Irishman and Marriage Story.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, The Irishman is a $160 million crime epic, charting the life of Robert De Niro’s Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran across various decades, with a heavy use of CGI de-aging tech. Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, made for just $18 million, is a far more intimate affair, telling the story of Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) as they go through a divorce. Both movies are great and, alongside Roma, represent the best showcase of what Netflix can offer as a movie studio.
However, while it’s The Irishman getting more of the attention, it’s Marriage Story that is even more deserving of it. Baumbach’s film is a beautiful portrayal of love, and all that comes with it: the good times and the bad, in all its vicious hurt and wondrous awe. It’s the kind of film that haunts you long after the credits have rolled, whether that’s thinking about its big blow out moments, which play out in shockingly visceral fashion, or the quiet tenderness that exists between all of the anger and pain.
This is all led by superlative work from Johansson and Driver, neither of whom have ever been better than they are here, and complemented by an array of memorable supporting turns (including Laura Dern allowing us to see what Renata Klein would be like as a divorce lawyer - which is every bit as great as you’d hope). It’s a film that, in the wrong hands, could’ve gone in so many different (and worse) directions, be it pretentious, bitter, or saccharine. Baumbach, drawing on his own experiences, hits every note perfectly. Marriage Story is a film that speaks to everyone who has been in a relationship: it’s both specific and yet wholly relatable; capable of being supremely funny or utterly devastating.
This isn’t to knock The Irishman down so much as it is to raise Marriage Story up. Scorsese’s latest is a brilliant work in its own right, and as thematically rich as you’d expect from the director and his good fellas in such reflective mood. But it can’t match the emotional highs and resonance of Marriage Story, which is a film with moments that, weeks after seeing, can still make you feel like smiling or crying (and maybe both at once).
Marriage Story is also, in a more literal sense, the best Netflix movie of 2019. Both look great and should be seen on the big screen where possible, but The Irishman’s 3.5 hour runtime requires much more of an investment for viewing at home, which is perhaps why some audiences have found it boring. Marriage Story isn’t exactly short, and it can be a heavy film at times (though it’s well-balanced), but it’s still more suited to streaming in a single, comfortable sitting. That’s just another advantage, although what makes the film truly standout is everything else: the performances, script, direction, and raw emotional power that really stays with you. The Irishman is excellent, but Marriage Story is Netflix’s best of 2019, and of the two has the stronger claim to being the best of the year period.