Film Review: WHITE NOISE

Fans of Don DeLillo have been holding their breath and/or their noses in anticipation of the Netflix version of his cult classic novel, "White Noise." As one of that group I have read the book more times than I can recall, and I must say that after seeing the film I was left scratching my head. As in, WTF have they done to one of my favorite books? 

A fantasy, science fiction, real life story about a middle-aged college professor of Hitler Studies, his ditzy wife who teaches "posture" to seniors, and their four children blended from each of their three previous marriages, it's mostly about death and the fear it instills in all of us.

Starring two actors of middling appeal who sadly look their worst in this film, Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig deliver heartfelt yet disappointing performances. The children are the best part of the movie so pay attention when they're on screen. And to a fantastic explosion, which is as much fun to watch as the scene early in The Impossible where the hotel gets washed away. 

A nostalgic score of hits from the 1970s and some adept editing make for several invigorating scenes that offer a nice counterbalance to the toxic, threatening black cloud that has everyone going bonkers and running hither and yon for cover. (The cloud is from the explosion cited earlier, which, according to my husband, is the reason they made the movie.)

The film's end credits run more than seven minutes and feature ordinary-looking people dancing in the aisles of a brightly-lit supermarket. Several critics have lauded them, but we couldn't take more than a minute of director Noah Baumbach's pretentious attempt at being "groundbreaking." 

My best advice: read the book first. Or instead.