What Is Marriage Story About
Marriage Story is a 2019 American drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The movie follows Charlie and Nicole, a couple navigating a contentious divorce while co-parenting their young son. The plot centers on custody negotiations, legal battles, and the emotional toll of splitting a household. The film stars Adam Driver as Charlie and Scarlett Johansson as Nicole, with Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Azhy Robertson in key supporting roles. The screenplay draws partly on Baumbach's own experiences with divorce and was developed over several years before production began.
The production was led by Netflix, which distributed the film globally. Principal photography took place in Los Angeles and New York, with additional scenes shot in London and Vermont. The budget was reported at approximately 18 million dollars. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in late 2019 and was released on Netflix on December 6, 2019. It became one of the most-watched Netflix original films that season, ranking highly in viewership metrics reported by the company and by third-party tracking services such as Nielsen.
Cast, Crew, and Critical Reception
The main cast includes Adam Driver as Charlie Barber, Scarlett Johansson as Nicole Barber, Laura Dern as divorce attorney Nora Fanshaw, and Azhy Robertson as their son Henry. Supporting roles are played by Alan Alda as Judge Bertram Spinner, Ray Liotta as Jay, and Merritt Wever as Cassie. The film's score was composed by Randy Newman, and the cinematography was handled by Robbie Ryan. The production design was led by Kirston Leigh Mann, and the editing was done by Jennifer Lame.
Marriage Story received widespread critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a critics score of 95 percent based on hundreds of reviews. On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 93 out of 100. The film earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Adam Driver, Best Actress for Scarlett Johansson, Best Supporting Actress for Laura Dern, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Laura Dern won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The film also received multiple Golden Globe nominations and won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for Johansson and Best Supporting Actress for Dern.
Streaming Availability and Production Company Details
Marriage Story is a Netflix original film, meaning it is distributed and owned by Netflix, Inc. The film is available for streaming in most regions where Netflix operates, with availability tied to local licensing agreements. Netflix reported that the film was among the most-watched originals in its category during its first few weeks of release. Viewer data is aggregated and reported by Netflix and third-party analytics firms, with the company regularly publishing top-10 lists of most-watched content on its platform.
The film was produced by Netflix and Plan B Entertainment, with Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner serving as producers. Noah Baumbach also produced the film alongside his longtime collaborator. The distribution is handled entirely by Netflix, which funds and releases the movie directly to its subscriber base without a traditional theatrical window in most markets. For more details on Netflix's production and distribution model, you can visit its official investor relations page at Netflix Investor Relations.