White Noise

"Jack" (Adam Driver) is a college lecturer married to "Babbette" (Greta Gerwig). It's fourth time round for both of them so their family consists a mix of siblings, half-siblings and pets that could easily give the Tower of Babel a run for it's money. Add to that mix that he teaches about Adolf Hitler (but cannot speak German) and she has developed a secret dependency on a mysterious drug ("Dylar") and the scene is set for a dysfunctional family drama that I'm afraid to say left me yawning. The structure of the drama is pretty episodic in nature and the escapades themselves frequently border on the nonsensical (and implausible) as they have to comprehend and flee from the effects of an "airborne toxic event". Some of that is funny, some of ...

White Noise was not what I expected going into it. It had great performances and interesting premise but slowly went off the rails for me. I was enjoying the first half the film; the unique dialogue structure was fresh and the suspense of the chemical event was intriguing. It had great social commentary and was funny to watch post pandemic. But after the second act the story spirals absurdity and it really hurts my overall enjoyment of the film. I have a lot more I have to say, but spoilers would be required. There was definitely something here, but unfortunately it never quite reaches the mark.

Score: 62% Verdict: Decent