Greta Gerwig Movies
Though she began her career with playwriting ambitions, Greta Gerwig soon skirted to fame as one of the preeminent actresses in "mumblecore" films. As led by the Amerindie filmmakers including Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha), Jay and Mark Duplass (The Puffy Chair), and Joe Swanberg (Hannah Takes the Stairs), this movement of early-21st century American cinema relied on shoestring budgets and characterized itself via such elements as shaky, handheld photography, loosely strung narratives, and ultra-informal, from-the-hip dialogue that sustained the illusion of complete spontaneity.Gerwig -- a graduate of Barnard College and a longtime resident and habitué of Brooklyn, NY -- first made her presence known in Swanberg's 2006 LOL (as a girl who sends pictures of herself to an admirer via cell phone), but only rocketed to fame the following year, as the lead in the same director's Hannah Takes the Stairs. In that feature, she fully evoked the complexities and contradictions of a young woman drifting through a long, hot Chicago summer and blithely but unsuccessfully attempting to fulfill her romantic yearnings. The picture (like LOL) immediately became a sensation and turned Gerwig into a screen favorite among enthusiasts of grassroots independent filmmaking.
In many ways, however, 2008 represented Gerwig's breakthrough year -- the year that witnessed her essaying supporting roles in two additional mumblecore features (Yeast and Baghead) and posing a triple threat as lead actress, screenwriter, and co-director (alongside Swanberg) on Nights and Weekends. This off-center romantic comedy stars Gerwig and Swanberg as two geographically estranged lovers grappling with the impracticalities of a long-distance relationship. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Bound together by circumstance, two travelers wrestle with the prospect of making their vacation romance something a bit more serious in this romantic drama from director Rod Webber. Horace (Webber) and Cassandra (Greta Gerwig) first crossed paths while traveling to Canada. Their mutual guide through the Great White North was the Greek philosopher Socrates, who laid out Horace and Cassandra's traveling itinerary through a series of books-on-tape. Now, in order to avoid becoming lost in the vast frozen wilderness, this mismatched couple must learn to work together. But all is not well with Cassandra, and as she attempts to face the terrifying truth that her physical condition is quickly deteriorating, she chose between standing by Horace, and standing to face her fate alone. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Webber, Greta Gerwig, (more)
- 2009
- R
A coed struggling to pay her rent ends up taking the wrong part-time job in writer-director Ti West's old-school 1980s-set horror flick, The House of the Devil. Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) is a sweet-natured and retiring young woman, unlike her rambunctious, loud, and self-assured best buddy, Megan (mumblecore stalwart Greta Gerwig). After moving into a new apartment, Samantha is desperate for a way to make a few more bucks. When Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) comes on campus looking for a babysitter, Samantha jumps at the opportunity. Once she convinces Megan to give her a ride to the creepy old Ulman house, Samantha learns that the job is not quite what was advertised. Ulman and his wife (Mary Woronov) don't even have a child. He tells Samantha that she just has to stay in the house with his elderly mother-in-law while he and the missus go out to celebrate the lunar eclipse. When she balks at the change of plans, he offers her more money. As the night goes on, it becomes clear that Samantha is a much bigger part of the Ulmans' plans for the evening than she would ever want to be. West established his genre credentials with low-budget cult favorites The Roost (which also starred Noonan) and Trigger Man. The House of the Devil also stars A.J. Bowen and Dee Wallace. The movie had its world premiere in the Midnight section of the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jocelin Donahue, Greta Gerwig, (more)
- 2008
- NR
Two people who fall in love while separated by 800 miles find it's hard to stay friends while living in the same city in this low-key independent drama. James (Joe Swanberg) and Mattie (Greta Gerwig) are in love and trying to make their relationship work. But James lives and works in Chicago, while Mattie calls New York home, and though they try to visit one another as often as they can, their infrequent weekends together are punctuated by telephone calls, e-mails, on-line chatting, and sending digital pictures back and forth. As much as Mattie cares for James, in time the space between them is too much to deal with and they break up. Twelve months later, James' career as a video-game designer is taking off, and a new project necessitates a move to New York City; while they're no longer lovers, he tries to reconnect with Mattie, though his recent success has added a new and uncomfortable element to their relationship. Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig wrote, directed, and produced Nights and Weekends as well as playing the two leads; the film received its world premiere at the 2008 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Gerwig, Joe Swanberg, (more)
- 2008
Hopelessly oblivious, frustratingly tyrannical, and emotionally stunted, a woman suffering from a wide variety of personality flaws does her best to talk through two deeply destructive friendships. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Bronstein, Amy Judd, (more)
The Puffy Chair filmmaking duo Jay and Mark Duplass return to the realm of cinema with this tale of a man, a bag, and the strangeness that occurs when the two independently inconsequential factors come together. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Zissis, Ross Partridge, (more)
American independent filmmaker Joe Swanberg's 2007 feature Hannah Takes the Stairs concerns Hannah (Greta Gerwig), a recent college graduate who spends one long, unsatisfying summer in the Windy City attempting to achieve romantic fulfillment in a seemingly endless series of relationships. Drifting in and out of infatuation, but never quite reaching satisfaction, Hannah begins to pose an emotional threat to herself and those around her. The picture co-stars filmmakers Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha) and Todd Rohal (The Guatemalan Handshake) as well as screenwriter Kent Osborne (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie). Gerwig co-authored the script with Osborne and Swanberg. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Gerwig, Kent Osborne, (more)
The constant need to be plugged in and connected threatens to crash the real-life operating system of three technologically obsessed twentysomethings in director Joe Swanberg's humorous meditation on the relationship between man and machine in modern society. Tim does computer work for a living, but he also lives for his computer. Unfortunately his inability to snap the lid closed on his laptop is rapidly alienating his girlfriend Ada, who recognizes Tim's apparent inability to communicate with other people without the buffer of technology. Meanwhile, as struggling musician Alex obsesses over a girl he met on an adult website, a flesh-and-blood girl named Walter does her best to make her attraction to Alex known. Lastly, Chris has transferred from New York to Chicago due to the demands of his job, making a long-distance relationship with his East-coast girlfriend Greta increasingly difficult to maintain. Though the pair talks constantly on their cell phones while also sending cell-phone pictures to one another, neither Chris nor Greta can deny that their reliance on technology in sustaining their relationship is no substitute for the living, breathing warmth of human companionship. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Bewersdorf, Joe Swanberg, (more)
