Greenberg

It's been a very green spring in the multi-plex this year. Paul Greengrass brought you "Green Zone" and now Ben Stiller plays a displaced misanthrope in the hills of Los Angeles named "Greenberg". We also have "The Green Hornet" and everyones favorite green ogre Shrek due in theaters this year. The world is going green.
Writer/director Noah Baumbach is well versed in the eccentricities of people who are too smart for their own good. In "The Squid and the Whale" he took on the stuffed shirts of academia to both poignant and hilarious effect (and lots of Oscar nominations). In "Greenberg", Baumbach comes to Los Angeles to explore a city that's a boneyard of broken dreams. Chief amongst the interred is Roger Greenberg the angry and angst-ridden musician-turned-carpenter who comes to L.A. to house-sit for his well-off brother. It'll be good for him, since he's just out of mental institution and in a fragile state.
Ben Stiller plays Greenberg with a take no prisoners resolve. He hates being with people. He hates being alone. He constantly, purposely, sabotages his own happiness. He is self absorbed in a way that only really smart people can be self absorbed.
To their credit, Stiller and Baumbach illuminate Greenberg without the shtick that Stiller might have naturally gravitated toward. It's a really good performance but the character is a jackass, no getting around it. It bothers me when a protagonist is such an asshole that you just can't sympathize. It keeps me from engaging with the story. But that's me.
Now there is a character in this film that you can engage with. She's the brother's personal assistant, currently meandering through life and love in a way that would be slutty if it wasn't so sweet. She becomes Greenberg's love interest. As played by Greta Gerwig (another terrific performance) Florence is a lost soul with just enough talent to be a second rate singer and enough smarts to know how much talent she has. But holding onto the dream is everything. Her character is honestly written and beautifully played. Florence I have no trouble rooting for.
In the end, I think Baumbach wants us to believe that redemption is possible for Greenberg, through a real relationship with Florence. I doubt the premise. I know guys like that. Run, Florence, run!
Greenberg is a frank, insightful and often brutal character study, almost as flawed as it's title character.
A quick note for Los Angelenos, it's a great tour of the city. Ahhh, I remember my days drinking bad margaritas at Lucy's El Adobe.