---
title: "Marriage Story"
year: 2019
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/marriage-story"
fi1m_id: "marriage-story"
imdb_id: "tt7653254"
tmdb_id: 492188
wikidata_id: "Q48671199"
fi1m_score: 84
critics_score: 82
critics_reviews: 22
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:45.440895+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Marriage Story (2019)

Directed by Noah Baumbach · 2h 17m · MPA R · Drama

## Identity

Marriage Story

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/marriage-story
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** marriage-story
- **IMDb ID:** tt7653254
- **TMDB ID:** 492188
- **Wikidata ID:** Q48671199
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7653254/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/492188, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48671199

**Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 82 from 22 reviews

*In a sentence:* Two people who know each other far too well to have a straightforward divorce

> Noah Baumbach’s divorce drama earns its tears through Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, who make old affection persist inside new grievances. The larger arguments can feel rehearsed, but the smaller hurts are painfully convincing.

## Synopsis

Charlie Barber (Adam Driver) and Nicole Barber (Scarlett Johansson) are separating, with their son Henry Barber (Azhy Robertson) caught in the practical arrangements. Neither wants the marriage’s failure to erase everything they have shared. They need to work out how to raise their son apart, but cannot agree on what has brought them here. Old affection complicates new grievances, and knowing each other so well makes every disagreement harder to contain. As lawyers enter the divorce, the couple find that private resentments now have practical consequences for their family.

## Review

Noah Baumbach’s *Marriage Story* is a funny, painful divorce drama that deserves the time it asks of us. It wants to understand how two people can know each other intimately and still disagree about the life they have shared. Charlie Barber and Nicole Barber are both capable of making a reasonable case, which does little to make their separation reasonable. The writing allows affection to survive the arguments, and that is where the film gets us: neither person can simply dismiss the other as a mistake.

Scarlett Johansson makes Nicole’s need to be heard feel urgent without turning every grievance into a plea for our approval. There is pleasure in the performance’s impatience, and something sadder in how much explaining Nicole still has to do. Adam Driver gives Charlie the maddening assurance of someone who recognises his own distress more readily than another person’s. We were moved by the tenderness that remains audible in their disagreements, because both actors make it sound involuntary, even when their characters are trying to be unkind.

Robbie Ryan’s cinematography gives the faces enough weight that we keep watching for a reaction after the line has landed. The person listening can make a conversation uncomfortable before offering any reply. Jennifer Lame’s editing handles the shifts from comedy to distress with a sure sense of how long a moment can bear, letting the discomfort linger without labouring every pause. We laughed at the legal manoeuvring and remained worried about the people paying for it.

Jade Healy’s production design makes the domestic surroundings credible enough for us to imagine the routines these people are losing. We can believe in the ordinary days they have had together, which matters when so much attention goes to the exceptionally bad ones. Randy Newman’s music supports that sense of remembered warmth. It helps the film remain affectionate towards people who are making themselves difficult to like, without treating every disagreement as a catastrophe.

The legal comedy gives us a brief rest from hearing two people explain why the other has disappointed them. Laura Dern’s Nora Fanshaw is confidently funny without appearing to think she is in a comedy. Alan Alda brings a gentler manner, while Ray Liotta makes certainty feel like a threat. We stay alert through the procedural talk because these actors make the differences between the professionals easy to enjoy, even when their involvement gives the couple little cause for amusement.

Our reservation is that the writing sometimes prepares an argument too thoroughly. The larger confrontations have a completeness that can make distress sound rehearsed, with each accusation given its allotted space. That costs the film some of the awkwardness the lead performances otherwise supply so convincingly. We also feel Charlie receives more opportunities to be understood, although Nicole is never reduced to an obstacle in his story, and the strength of her performance makes any easy allegiance difficult.

The film keeps us interested in both spouses even when we want a particular conversation to stop. At 137 minutes, it has enough patience for contradictory feelings, and enough humour to keep the misery from wearing us down. We recommend it for the acting, with a small allowance for the script’s fondness for a well-prepared speech. Perhaps leave any outstanding household grievances until another evening.

*Fi1m score 84, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics greet Marriage Story warmly, praising Baumbach’s ability to make divorce funny without softening its cruelty. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson receive the most consistent praise for performances that convey anger, affection and hurt, often within the same exchange. The writing also draws approval for its close attention to marital grievances and legal proceedings. Many reviews find the film generous towards both spouses, allowing neither to become a convenient villain.

The main disagreement concerns that even-handedness. Vulture finds the husband’s perspective dominant and detects self-pity, while the Evening Standard also sees a bias towards him. Other reservations concern familiarity and theatricality: The Skinny finds the narrative predictable, and Eye for Film considers the larger arguments stagy and the debt to earlier divorce films too apparent. The spread runs from enthusiastic praise to mixed responses, with even the less persuaded critics admiring the central performances.

## Straight answers

**Is Marriage Story worth watching?**

*Marriage Story* is worth watching for the acting, and we scored it 84. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson keep old affection audible inside every new grievance, which is what makes the separation hurt. Our reservation is that the larger confrontations can sound rehearsed, each accusation given its allotted space, though the smaller hurts are painfully convincing.

**How long is Marriage Story, and what is it rated?**

*Marriage Story* runs 2h 17m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Marriage Story in the US?**

*Marriage Story* is streaming on Netflix in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Marriage Story, and is it suitable for children?**

*Marriage Story* is a UK 15, so it is a drama for adults and older teenagers rather than children, but there is no violence or horror to speak of. The strain comes from sustained, unkind arguing between separating parents and the legal manoeuvring around their son. It is upsetting rather than frightening, and anyone with a divorce close to home may find it hard going.

**How does Marriage Story compare to A Separation?**

*Marriage Story* is the funnier and warmer of the two, while [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) is the more gripping and the more even-handed. Baumbach gives his couple room for jokes and lingering tenderness; Farhadi keeps the pressure on and pays uncomfortable attention to the children. We recommend both, but the Iranian film is the tighter piece of work.

**What should I watch after Marriage Story?**

After *Marriage Story*, try [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) (2011, Fi1m 93): A family dispute grows painfully complicated without making anyone conveniently innocent. Then [*Kramer vs. Kramer*](https://film.one/film/kramer-vs-kramer) (1979, Fi1m 82): For the daily work of parenting beneath the divorce proceedings; and [*The Squid and the Whale*](https://film.one/film/the-squid-and-the-whale) (2005, Fi1m 83): A sharper, nastier look at the children listening to their parents.

### Reviews we read (30)

- **Little White Lies**, Matt Thrift (4/5/5): Baumbach delivers what just might be his masterpiece with this bitterly funny divorce drama. It is even-handed and empathetic, with devastating cumulative power powered by knockout performances. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/marriage-story)
- **Radio Times**, Stephen Carty (5/5): Marriage Story is funny, moving and heart-breaking, and just may be a modern masterpiece. It features exceptional performances from Driver and Johansson and does not take sides in the divorce. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-h4012h/marriage-story/)
- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (5/5): Baumbach's divorce drama is a bruising tour de force and easily the wisest film of his career. It features powerhouse performances by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, climaxing in a ferocious verbal showdown. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/marriage-story-1)
- **Empire**, Terri White (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's balanced and empathetic portrayal of divorce, highlighting the standout performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson along with its unexpected humor that lightens the emotional weight. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/marriage-story/)
- **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (A-): Baumbach applies his expertise in human discomfort to the emotional and legal quagmire of divorce in a deeply thoughtful, empathetic film. It features nuanced performances from Driver and Johansson, especially in a gut-wrenching fight scene. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/noah-baumbach-makes-a-moving-divorce-drama-and-adam-sa-1838045154)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): Baumbach delivers a superb, generous portrait of a marriage's death throes that is sweet, sad and funny, with terrific performances from Johansson and Driver. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/nov/15/marriage-story-review-noah-baumbach-adam-driver-scarlett-johansson)
- **Film Comment**, Jonathan Romney (80/100, inferred): Baumbach's film is brisk, witty and revels in a mischievous sense of fun while offering a harrowing view of spousal difference. It features strong performances, especially from Scarlett Johansson, and ends with a sense of acceptance. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/film-of-the-week-marriage-story/)
- **The i Paper**, Demetrios Matheou (★★★★): The critic calls it a sublime, heart-breaking and balanced divorce drama with faultless lead performances that surpass even Kramer vs. Kramer, praising its emotional depth and ensemble cast. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/marriage-story-netflix-review-adam-driver-scarlett-johansson-devastating-divorce-362849)
- **The Times**, Tom Shone (★★★★): Baumbach’s most mature and generous work peels open a marriage with scenes that are funny, painful, sad and joyous; it is also his most emotional film. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/article/film-reviews-marriage-story-le-mans-66-qr3cnqhg9)
- **Evening Standard**, David Sexton (70/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as expert and deeply felt with strong performances and humor, but notes it feels somewhat biased toward the male lead and finds the climactic song sequence awkward. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/marriage-story-review-adam-driver-and-scarlett-johansson-serve-up-tearjerking-anatomy-of-divorce-a4288021.html)
- **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): Baumbach offers a close-up portrait of a dissolving relationship as a deteriorating combat zone, with outstanding stripped-raw performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. It is a very particular film set for awards attention. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/marriage-story-venice-review/5142233.article)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (70/100, inferred): The critic notes that the film toys with the audience as one couple dissolves, blending near-farce and emotional brutality in pure Baumbach style. It singles out the devastating performances and the frighteningly first-world depiction of divorce proceedings for praise and complaint alike. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/11/end-times-in-terminator-dark-fate-and-marriage-story)
- **Vulture** (60/100, inferred): The critic notes stretches of brilliance, particularly the prologue and small resonant moments, but finds the film undercut by the director's sour self-pity, with the story centering more on the husband's perspective. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2019/11/marriage-story-movie-review-noah-baumbach-divorce.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang: The critic calls it an emotionally lacerating experience and a nearly flawless elegy for a beautifully flawed couple, a broken-family classic. The masterful acting by Driver and Johansson is singled out as an acting master class. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-11-05/marriage-story-netflix-review-adam-driver-scarlett-johansson)
- **Sight and Sound**, Christina Newland: Baumbach addresses the fatal flaws in the relationship with painful clarity in this reflective and occasionally devastating drama. The film veers from the piquantly funny to the downright brutal, closing on a hopeful note despite its sadness. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/marriage-story-review-noah-baumbachs-divorce-tale-has-rueful-ring-truth)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Jon Frosch: The critic calls it Baumbach's best yet, a tough but funny and tender work about good people at their worst during divorce. It highlights the sensational, deeply alive performances from the leads. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/marriage-story-review-1234560/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic's Pick): The critic describes the film as a tender and stinging tale of divorce that is funny and sad in equal measure, weaving a plot out of the messy collapse of a shared reality while making music out of disharmony. The performances of Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are singled out for their self-conscious uncoupling in this emotionally resonant story. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/movies/marriage-story-review.html)
- **The Telegraph** (**): A funny, fine-grained screwball take on Kramer vs. Kramer that mines specific details of divorce and bicoastal life for comedy and insight. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/marriage-story-review-scarlett-johansson-adam-driver-splits-screwball-kramer/)
- **The Playlist**, Rodrigo Perez (A): Baumbach delivers his best film yet, a cathartic and empathetic portrait of marital collapse filled with humor, heartbreak, and humanity. Outstanding performances from Driver and Johansson anchor the wrenching yet generous story of survival and lingering love. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/marriage-story-baumbach-venice-review-20190829/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (A-): The critic calls the film excellent and emotionally overwhelming, noting that it shows divorce as a collision of love and hate through nuanced performances rather than broad melodrama. [Read](https://collider.com/marriage-story-review-netflix-adam-driver/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4.5/5): Baumbach delivers his most mature effort yet, a funny and poignant meditation on divorce featuring career-defining work from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/marriage-story-review-adam-driver-scarlett-johansson/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (9/10): The heartfelt drama showcases career-best work from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a couple navigating divorce. Baumbach crafts a character study that finds both humor and pain in the dissolution of a marriage. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/568963/marriage-story-review/)
- **Polygon**, Karen Han (85/100, inferred): The critic lauds the refusal to create heroes or villains, emphasizing the even portrayal of the couple's lingering tenderness and the bittersweet quality of their separation. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2019/12/6/20999222/marriage-story-review-netflix-adam-driver-scarlett-johansson-noah-baumbach/)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's focus on love's power to make people mean and its even-handed structure, highlighting Driver's internalized performance and the writing's tonal balance. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2019/09/13/movies/uncut-gems-marriage-story-review-tiff)
- **HeyUGuys**, Adam Solomons (75/100, inferred): The review highlights the messy realities of divorce and custody battles through strong performances by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. It praises the film's balance of humor, emotional depth, and light touch despite heavy themes. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/marriage-story-review-tiff-2019/)
- **The Skinny**, Carmen Paddock (★★★): Powerful central performances cannot disguise a certain staleness and predictability in this divorce narrative. It benefits from faultless acting and keeps the audience on both sides' perspectives. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/marriage-story)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (55/100, inferred): The film excels at showing conflicted emotions where old love underlies fresh acrimony but feels stagy in its big arguments and overly reliant on prior divorce films. Johansson delivers the stronger lead performance while the story lacks fresh ideas. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/marriage-story-2019-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond: Pete Hammond hails the film as a masterpiece and a smart, moving love story about divorce. He singles out the no-villains approach, the depth of the lead performances by Driver and Johansson, and the strong ensemble of lawyers. [Read](https://deadline.com/video/marriage-story-review-adam-driver-scarlett-johansson-netflix-noah-baumbach/)
- **Paste**, Andy Crump (6.1): The review finds the film honest about divorce drawn from personal experience but criticizes its self-conscious excess and lack of messiness despite strong lead performances. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/marriage-story/marriage-story-review)
- **The Wrap**: The review praises Baumbach for continuing his streak of humane, heartbreaking films with this powerful and poignant tale of a couple's breakup. It highlights the film's balanced empathy toward both spouses and their son, along with the incisive writing and strong ensemble performances. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/marriage-story-film-review-scarlett-johansson-adam-driver-netflix/)

## Details

- **Director:** Noah Baumbach
- **Director:** Noah Baumbach
- **Writer:** Noah Baumbach
- **Cinematography:** Robbie Ryan
- **Editor:** Jennifer Lame
- **Music:** Randy Newman
- **Production design:** Jade Healy
- **Costume design:** Mark Bridges
- **Producer:** Noah Baumbach, David Heyman
- **Cast:** Adam Driver as Charlie Barber; Scarlett Johansson as Nicole Barber; Laura Dern as Nora Fanshaw; Alan Alda as Bert Spitz; Ray Liotta as Jay Marotta; Julie Hagerty as Sandra; Merritt Wever as Cassie; Azhy Robertson as Henry Barber
- **Runtime:** 2h 17m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 6 November 2019
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2019); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 2019)
- **Budget:** $18 million
- **Box office:** $333,686
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHi-a1n8t7M

## Where to watch in the US

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2020: Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (won)

## If you liked this

- *Scenes from a Marriage* (1973): For another couple whose arguments preserve an uncomfortable amount of intimacy.
- *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93: A family dispute grows painfully complicated without making anyone conveniently innocent. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md)
- *Kramer vs. Kramer* (1979), Fi1m 82: For the daily work of parenting beneath the divorce proceedings. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/kramer-vs-kramer.md)
- *The Squid and the Whale* (2005), Fi1m 83: A sharper, nastier look at the children listening to their parents. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-squid-and-the-whale.md)
- *45 Years* (2015), Fi1m 88: For the quieter damage a shared past can do to a marriage. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/45-years.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/marriage-story