A couple months ago, Mark Duplass told us that part of the fun of making Noah Baumbach's Greenberg was that he got to be "a dick" to Ben Stiller -- something that's usually reserved onscreen for Robert De Niro or a talking statue. Now that the trailer for Greenberg has debuted we can see why Stiller's character might incur some wrath: He's jobless, ornery, and (worst of all) a fastidious letter-writer! Fortunately, he has pretty good hair, so he might get laid regardless.
In some ways, Greenberg appears to be Baumbach's paean to the world of mumblecore, a genre that he's become increasingly infatuated with (even going so far as to produce Joe Swanberg's Alexander the Last). Not only does Stiller star opposite mumblecore vets Duplass and Greta Gerwig, but his character's lack of an occupation makes him a perfect mumble lead. Still, Baumbach's always been too precise to go down the improvisatory rabbit hole, and Greenberg looks like it could be agreeably sharp. Hell, who am I kidding -- I still think Baumbach's Margot at the Wedding is an unfairly underrated gem. My ticket's already bought.
VERDICT: Sold.