There have been many movies that tell the uncomfortable story of divorce, but few have been done with as much raw honesty as Marriage Story. The film details the split between married couple Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) which grows more and more toxic.

This honest approach to the story has led the film to become one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2019 and scoring a Best Picture nomination. And because the film strives for authenticity, it mixes the tragic with the comedic as we often see in the real world. Here are some of the scenes from Marriage Story that broke out hearts and some of the scenes that made us laugh out loud.

10 Sad: Nicole Tells Her Story

The movie doesn’t allow us to spend too much time with Nicole and Charlie as a happy couple as they are in the midst of their breakup when the movie starts. It isn’t until Nicole meets with a divorce lawyer (Laura Dern) that we get a sense of what went wrong.

Though we know we are only hearing Nicole’s side of the story, it’s clear that this is really how she feels. She talks with so much enthusiasm about when they first got together before gradually coming apart when vocalizing all of the ways she felt disrespected in their relationship.

9 Funny: What I Like About…

The movie opens with a lovely montage about Nicole and Charlie as seen by the other. Though we find it is part of a divorce mediation process, it helps to reveal a lot about the two of them before the story even begins.

While it is touching to see them point to all the things they like about the other person, it’s also funny how real it feels. From Charlie obsessively shutting lights off to be energy conscious to Nicole constantly brewing tea and never drinking it, it’s these hilarious little quirks that make the characters feel real.

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8 Sad: In Court

Despite both Nicole and Charlie feeling adamant that they don’t want to take this to court, things eventually escalate to that point. It turns out to be as bad as they both feared. Each armed with their own ruthless lawyer, Nicole and Charlie sit silently while their dirty laundry is aired for all to hear.

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Small moments between them that seemed innocuous are brought back up to attack each other’s credibility. They each get torn apart as they sit as silent observers to this cruelty being inflicted on each other.

7 Funny: You’ve Been Served

When Nicole decides she will proceed with a divorce from Charlie, she tries to get her family’s help in making it as painless as possible. It does not go well. Needing to serve Charlie with the divorce papers, Nicole asks her sister, Cassie (Merritt Wever) to be the one to serve them to Charlie once he arrives.

As Charlie obliviously carries on casual conversation, Cassie is a nervous wreck, talking too loudly and making it way too obvious something is on his mind. The total awkwardness of the moment is cringe-worthy in the funniest possible way.

6 Sad: Being Alive

Adam Driver continues to show he is one of the best actors working right now with his amazing performance in this movie. One of his most talked-about scenes in the small musical number he has when Charlie performs an impromptu version of “Being Alive” from the Stephen Sondheim musical Company.

It starts as a funny and charming moment before Charlie begins to get deeper into the song and more engrossed in it. It stops being a goofy and becomes a genuine display of his emotions and his heartbreak at the experience he is going through.

5 Funny: Halloween

The main focus for both Nicole and Charlie at the center of their divorce is their son, Henry. Neither parent wants to give up their time with him though they are now split between Los Angeles and New York. As Charlie copes with this change, he finds Henry becoming more comfortable in his new L.A. life.

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During Halloween, Charlie attempts to celebrate with Henry even though Henry already went trick-or-treating with Nicole. Seeing Charlie drag a reluctant Henry down Los Angeles streets looking for houses and trick-or-treating at convenience stores is sad but hard not to laugh at what a disaster it is.

4 Sad: The Fight

After their divorce continues to grow more and more bitter, Nicole and Charlie finally meet and attempt to have a civilized conversation about how to proceed. While they start out quietly disagreeing with each other, their tempers begin to take over and it devolves into a vicious screaming match between the two.

It is a devastating moment when you think these two might try to be decent with one another, but their past frustrations and the frustrations of the divorce take control of the situation. It is intense, brutal and these people that used to love each other say hurtful things that they’ll never be able to take back.

3 Funny: Meeting Bert

After trying to find a lawyer who has not yet been associated with Nicole, Charlie gets desperate and finally finds an ex-entertainment lawyer named Bert (Alan Alda). By Bert’s own admission, he has been divorced three times and, as a result, sees how ugly these things can get and does his best to avoid that.

Alda’s performance is lovable and sweet as Bert meanders around the office, heating up his lunch and looking for his glasses as he lays out his philosophy and approach to Charlie. He is not a bad lawyer, but it’s clear he doesn’t have any fight left in him.

2 Sad: Charlie Reads The Letter

The battle between Nicole and Charlie comes to an end the way most of these cases probably do with one side (Charlie) finally admitting defeat. Charlie attempts to readjust to the life of visiting his son in Los Angeles every now and then.

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During one visit, he finds Henry practicing reading with the note Nicole wrote about all the things she like about Charlie. As Charlie takes over reading and Nicole looks on, they each are confronted with the life they left behind as well as the hope that they can find a way to love each other in some way going forward.

1 Funny: The Evaluation

The movie does an amazing job of turning the most awkward and uncomfortable situations into hilarious moments of comedy while still feeling real. When Charlie is to be visited by an expert evaluator who will observe his parenting of Henry, you expect a tense and brutal sequence.

The evaluator (Martha Kelly) is a surprisingly soft-spoken and relaxed person, but Charlie’s attempts to seem like the perfect father makes the whole thing hilariously unbearable. The scene is topped off by Charlie’s demonstration of the “knife trick” which makes for one of the most unexpectedly hilarious film moments of 2019.

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About The Author


Colin McCormick
(2030 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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