Writer-director Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha, The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story) brings author Don DeLillo’s 1985 satirical postmodern novel to the big screen. Jack Gladney (Adam Driver) is a college professor who’s pioneered the niche academic pursuit of Hitler studies. He’s married to Babette (Greta Gerwig), and together they raise a large brood of children and stepchildren and frequently fret about death. After an accident causes a chemical spill that releases a noxious cloud over their area, the family takes to the road in their station wagon to escape, but Jack fears he’s been exposed and will die. Meanwhile, he discovers Babette may have an addiction problem. (136 min.)

Glen: This Reagan-era absurdist comedy does a pretty good job covering DeLillo’s main themes of his novel: skewering the pretentiousness of academe, thanatophobia (fear of death), consumerism, and contemporary life’s general feeling of anxiety and the cornucopia of pharmaceutical avenues we take to treat it. Considering the novel has been called “unfilmable,” I’d argue Baumbach has succeeded, though the 38 percent Rotten Tomatoes audience score would beg to differ. OK, so it’s not for everybody, but if you like Wes Anderson films, you’ll probably dig this. Anderson and Baumbach co-wrote Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and this film is filled with quirky characters playing it deadpan in absurd moments, for instance when Jack and his colleague Murray Jay Siskind (Don Cheadle) offer a deeply ironic joint lecture juxtaposing the lives of Adolf Hitler and Elvis Presley. Surrender to its weirdness and White Noise will pay off.

Anna: Perhaps White Noise is too quirky for some, too consumed in the minutiae of the dialogue. For me, this sort of film hits a sweet spot. It helps that I love both Driver and Gerwig as much as I love this style of campy filmmaking. Odd yet ordinary, the Gladney family ponders the mysteries of death over chile fried chicken and corn niblets at the dinner table. Jack and Babette seem made for each other, both on their fourth go-round with marriage. But as close as the partners may be, there are still secrets lurking. Babette’s daughter, Denise, sees her mother hide an empty prescription bottle deep in the trash, but when Denise consults her trusty encyclopedia of medications, the mysterious pill cannot be found. Does this explain Babette’s lapse in memory lately, her vacant moments? Then the family is outrunning the mysterious noxious gas cloud and seeking refuge at an emergency shelter, desperate for news. What is the substance? What are the consequences? It all is very strange, very mysterious.

Glen: If you’re looking for neat, tidy answers, this film (and DeLillo’s novel) will not provide them, and the film’s ending is a weird cherry on top of the story’s “what the heck?” cake. However, in light of the pandemic and its effects on society, the story feels very timely. It also boasts a Danny Elfman score, and LCD Soundsystem recorded its first new music in five years for the Devo-esque track “New Body Rhumba,” which perfectly captures the film’s ’80s milieu. The acting is spectacular, too, especially the three principals. Netflix strikes again!

Anna: I’m sure this sort of ambivalent storyline can drive some people bonkers, but I’m OK with a bit of absurdity and unknowing. The music and costuming were on point, the storyline weird and interesting. I’m betting I could happily watch this film again and find pieces of dialogue or small moments that I missed the first time around, and as someone who loves a repeat movie, I appreciate that. I liked Baumbach’s work with Anderson, and I like this film as well, so whatever he puts out next I will be sure to watch. I dig his weirdness.

New Times Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.

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