Hannah Takes the Stairs

Looking at the comments on this film on this and other websites it is clear that this is a rather polarising affair – it is difficult to find a balanced review as people seem to love it or hate it. I'm not sure why because for me it is an OK piece of cinema vérité that has some strengths but ultimately doesn't work unless your requirements are for it to be "natural". Some have said that the film is unrealistic but I think this is unfair because to me Hannah does ring true – and if you doubt this then I would suggest you go onto Tumblr (the current "trendy" blog platform) and subscribe to any one of the countless blogs maintained by young professionals working their first jobs in the creative sectors. This comes over like a criticism and perhaps it is because for me the film is fairly bang on the money when it comes to Hannah – although I guess she is as representative of her generation as much as any one person can represent a group of millions (ie they can't).

The film follows her through a period of time and many conversations with her partners, colleagues and friends and nails her in how rather self-centred and selfish she is when it comes to her relationships. Some of this is clunkingly obvious to the point of being a bit irritating but mostly it feels natural. It seems this is mostly down to Gerwig, who is utterly convincing in who she is, a feat that is more impressive due to the lack of script (although I suppose she may be this person but I shall assume she is not). The problem is that, given how rather annoying Hannah is, the film seems happy to let the viewer wallow in her life without a lot of interest going on once her character has been established as much as it will be (which is early on). Without much happening we are left with only the characters to hold the viewer in the film – in particular Hannah. The problem is that this is not something that appeals and, even if it does, the lack of any sort of destination (thematically, emotionally, narratively – you name it) means that you get little back from the film.

Ultimately, for all its naturalism and the appeal this offers me, the film goes nowhere and just leaves me with people that I have no reason to have patience with and, although I gave the film the time it wanted, I find myself taking nothing away from it other than a sense of time wasted. As an experiment it is interesting and Gerwig is a big part of the film working at all but it amounts to very little and has the further downside of suggesting that this is somehow the standard for independent little dramas now. Ignore the hyped praise and ignore the scathing criticism – the truth is somewhere in the middle albeit it more towards the critical end of the spectrum.

The amazing thing about the word "mumblecore" is that it tells you exactly what you're getting into, even though it also sounds like nonsense.

I haven't seen many movies that can be characterized as mumblecore movies, but Hannah Takes the Stairs was definitely one of them. The main reason to watch it is Greta Gerwig, who's the best part of this (and was a co-writer... though that could just be because much of it seems improvised, and she was in almost every scene).

The premise is really the main thing to get over, given it revolves around Gerwig's character moving between various dudes whom she seems too good for. It's all uncomfortable and irritating at points, but I guess that's the point; that's the mumble at the core of a film like this, hard at work. There were definitely some funny parts and a couple of scenes that stood out. It left me feeling strange and a bit tired, but at least it wasn't long, either.

Verdict: not good, but also not bad? It might be worth a watch for people who can tolerate this style of filmmaking (which I understand is not too many).

No, "Hannah Takes the Stairs" is NOT a perfect movie, or even a great movie, or even a movie that I feel the desire to ever watch again. But, it still is worthwhile, it still has plenty of entertainment value, humor, heart, sadness, happiness, and so on and so forth. The film takes the typical "mumblecore" approach to things; the cast is made up of quirky, often romantically involved twentysomethings, the budget is extremely low, the dialogue feels improvised, but still clever, the comedy is awkward, the drama is slight, but still impactful. This film in particular embodies all of these characteristics to its own advantage, and felt stunningly realistic. Although the production value is blatantly low, the acting is strong, particularly Greta Gerwig's performance, which is at least somewhat responsible for kickstarting her career, which has obviously developed quite a bit over the past ten years! Her character is flawed, but she is also always likable. She and the rest of those populating the screen feel like real, well developed human beings. These are characters who I feel like I've met before...I've passed by them in life, I may have even befriended them. And now, on an unbiased screen, I can witness their rises, their falls, their good times, and their bad ones.

Let's be honest. Your movie could have Tom Cruise, Greta Garbo, Robert DeNiro and many other "stars" in it. It could be a collaborative piece co-directed by Martin Scorsese, Howard Hawks, Jean-Luc Godard. Sven Nykist could be doing the camera work. You could bill it as Robert DeNiro having real on screen sex with Greta Garbo and on and on and on. However, if it doesn't have a script or has just a minimal outline, then it will never be what it could be. Shows like Reno 911 are the exception to the rule. They are both no means the norm.

"Hannah Takes The Stairs" suffers from having no script. It is its glaring weakness and what, in the end, makes it wholly unsatisfying. As a whole, the story wanders around way too much and does not give its viewer a reason to really care for any of its characters. It is the kind of film you watch once and then forget about totally. If you were to ask me, should I see "Hannah Takes The Stairs", I would say, "Definitely. Watch it once but you won't ever want to watch it again."

Hannah (Greta Gerwig) is a twenty something starting an internship at a Chicago production office working under writing partners Matt and Paul. Her boyfriend Mike (Mark Duplass) quits his job. She contemplates breaking up and Mike decides to do it himself. She starts to fall for his co-workers which causes friction among the trio.

This is Joe Swanberg, mumblecore, and the indie circuit. Gerwig is starting out her partnership with Swanberg. She definitively has a star quality to her. She is very much the IT girl of the movie. On the other hand, Matt and Paul are not being played by IT guys. It would help to have Duplass play one of the guys. There is real tension happening between Hannah and Mike. It gets really uncomfortable and dark at times. The love triangle needs that kind of tension and darkness. Without it, the film goes limp. They struggle to get to that same level. It doesn't put Hannah in the best of light either. The movie falters to the finish.