Another great film about the New York arts scene released this year is While We're Young, which lacks the scabrous hostility of Listen Up Philip but still manages to retain a cynical assessment of how people cling to their youth, or exploit the affections of others for their own personal gain. Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts star as Josh and Cornelia Schrebnick, husband and wife reaching the point in life where having a baby is no longer an option. Struggling to complete his documentary, Josh strikes up a friendship with young documentarian Jamie (Adam Driver) and attempts to revitalize his life. Some of the best scenes involve Josh and Cornelia trying to act as if they're in their twenties - they're effective because writer-director Noah Baumbach doesn't play them for broad comedy but with a poignancy that makes them entirely relatable. With Woody Allen's work so ineffective and anodyne these days, it's great that we have directors like Baumbach and Listen Up Philip's Alex Ross Perry picking up the mantle. What other essential movies can you think of which people might have missed? Why not tell us about them in the comments?
