3.5 stars out of 5
Legendary screenwriting guru Syd Field claimed that in the first 10 minutes of a movie, viewers should learn just about everything they need to know about the story and characters. Maggie’s Plan sees Syd’s wager and raises him… down to 2 minutes! The very first thing we see Maggie do is help a blind guy across the street — wow, she’s nice! Then she immediately meets up with her platonic pal Bill Hader and, oh my dear lord, the exposition just flies. She wants a baby. She wants to do it on her own, now. She’s never been in a lasting relationship. But don’t worry, Maggie has it all figured out — she even has a sperm donor lined up. (He’s a pickle man but, though set in downtown NYC, Maggie never crosses Delancey.)
OK, whew, we can relax now. Well, for a few minutes anyway, until the best laid plans of mice and Maggie go astray. You see, she meets cute with professor-guy Ethan Hawke. (My only other big gripe with the movie: They meet way too cute; there would be a million more believable ways to have these two characters end up in the same place at the same time.) But there’s a problem — isn’t there always? — he’s married to brilliant academic Julianne Moore! Eh-oh, looks like Maggie will have to come up with yet another plan.
Greta Gerwig, who I have pledged allegiance to several times before, is Maggie. Here we get a muted Greta, and not just because of the skirt/tights/sweater/sensible-shoes outfits her Quaker character is continually saddled with. She doesn’t get to be her trademark madcap self — Maggie is a pretty serious person dealing with some grown-up shiznit. Still, you can’t help but like and root for her. It’s Greta Gerwig, fer crissakes!
Luckily, the enchanting Ms. Moore gets to have tons of fun, to balance things out. As the Danish, practically plumage-attired Georgette — wife of Hawke — she delivers a delightful performance. It is perhaps her funniest work since Lebowski.
My old school chum Ethan Hawke is solid as the conflicted family man who’s sick of sitting ’round here trying to write this book. (Just in case you don’t figure that out, “Dancing in the Dark” is on the soundtrack twice.)
The humor amps up as Maggie’s machinations get more convoluted. But we get some heavier stuff to consider too: the desire to raise a child vs. the desire to be married, pursuing your dreams vs. pursuing what you’re good at, the power dynamic in relationships, blended families, how many movies can Maya Rudolph show up in, etc.
So, you laugh, you think, you get a nice little tour of the Village, and it’s a pleasing time at the movies. Hey, what do you expect from Arthur Miller’s daughter, writer/director Rebecca Miller? This ain’t gonna be Porky’s II: The Next Day.
Jack Silbert, curator