Noah Baumbach
☼ Born on 3 December 1969, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
BiographyBorn in Brooklyn in 1969 Noah Baumbach is the son of two film critics, Georgia Brown and Jonathan Baumbach (also a writer). His studies at Vassar College were the subject of his first film (made as he was 26 years old), Kicking and Screaming (1995). His second major picture, made ten years later, The Squid and the Whale (2005) was no less autobiographical but went back further in his personal history, back to the time when his parents separated. Recounting this past trauma and its aftermath earned Noah a selection at the Sundance Film Festival, three Golden Globe nominations and a best screenplay Oscar nomination. From then on his career was launched and his output became more regular with Margot at the Wedding (2007) starring Nicole Kidman and his wife Jennifer Jason Leigh, Greenberg (2010), filmed in Los Angeles, with Ben Stiller and Greta Gerwig. Back in New york, where he lives, he was the director (and co-author with his main actress, Greta Gerwig) of the bittersweet art house success Frances Ha (2012). Besides directing films, he also co-writes some with Wes Anderson, a good friend of his, and is the author of humor columns in the New Yorker.
In the role of director
White Noise (13/12/2022)
A family tries to deal with the aftermath of an “Airborne Toxic Event” in White Noise. Jack Gladney (Adam Driver) is a college professor living with his fourth wife, Babette (Greta Gerwig) and their four children. The lives of the family change when a railway tank car crashes outside of town, releasing an unknown toxin […]
Marriage Story (30/11/2019)
The divorce of a young couple becomes increasingly less amicable in Marriage Story. After a decade of marriage, actress Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and theatre director Charlie (Adam Driver) have decided to split up. Cast in a new TV role, Nicole travels with her son Henry (Azhy Robertson) home to Los Angeles, staying with her mother […]
De Palma (17/06/2016)
Brian De Palma talks about his career in De Palma. Brian De Palma first got interested in filmmaking while he was studying Physics at Columbia University during the 1960s. De Palma was heavily influenced by the films of Alfred Hitchcock, particularly Vertigo, and even hired Bernard Herrmann to score his early films, including as 1973’s Sisters. While utilizing a […]
De Palma (25/04/2016)
Brian De Palma talks about his career in De Palma. Brian De Palma first got interested in filmmaking while he was studying Physics at Columbia University during the 1960s. De Palma was heavily influenced by the films of Alfred Hitchcock, particularly Vertigo, and even hired Bernard Herrmann to score his early films, including as 1973’s Sisters. […]
Blindspot 2015: 40 Years of TIFF: Girlfriends (19/02/2015)
From this point forward, the majority of this yearlong celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival will be made up of winners the festival’s People’s Choice Award. The award, which in recent years has helped to kick off Oscar buzz for the winners, was introduced at the third edition of the […]
Frances Ha (08/09/2012)
After helping introduce her to mainstream audiences in Greenberg, Noah Baumbach reunites with Greta Gerwig (who also co-wrote) in this new quirky comedy. The film focuses on Frances (Gerwig), an apprentice for a dance company, who lives with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner). The film is portrayed almost like a series of extended vignettes, which are […]
Margot at the Wedding (26/11/2007)
I had a lot of choices to see today in my (usually) monthly art house visit. I ended up picking this nice easy to digest film. I thought it was OK, but I also thought that I was probably the wrong gender to properly enjoy it. I wouldn’t call Margot at the Wedding a straight […]