On a list of "top ten" current Independent Film directors Noah Baumbach would be on it. You may know him from his last breakout film "The Squid and the Whale" (2005). Baumbach received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but he is so much more than that. Rent "Kicking and Screaming" or queue it up if you haven't seen it yet.

At some point, perhaps in the near future, Baumbach will be walking the red carpet and actually win an Academy Award.

Baumbach's "Greenberg" doesn't move through it's narrative like he's shooting for Oscar gold, so you can enjoy this film as a film and not feel the pressure of what award it may win. Who cares really. Just go see it. You'll look back and be able to tell your friends after this one comes out on DVD or download that you actually saw it the way it was meant to be seen, on a big screen. Even better, go to the theater alone. Seriously. Some movies are just better seen by yourself. This is a personal reflection movie about a man searching for himself, and a little alone time never hurt anyone.

In other reviews, you'll hear a lot about how nice it is to see Ben Stiller taking on deeper, darker, more serious roles. Ha! He's been doing that for years in all of his films, but you never noticed! Stiller has the salty breeze of Nantucket in his hair, and the asphalt of New York City in his fingernails. Trust us, this film, finally puts Stiller at his most natural. So much so, we wouldn't be surprised if Stiller works with Baumbach again.

Director Noah Baumbach is still pretty young and we can expect that he will continue to find funding and support for his films. He's one of our favorite directors. Greenberg is distributed by Focus Features.

Tags: film