Maggie (Greta Gerwig) is a reasonably successful college teacher who is fully in control of all aspects of her life except that she is becoming desperate for a child but is unable to find the right man, so she decides to pursue the route of sperm donation and believes she has found a potential suitor in former college co-student Guy (Travis Fimmell) who was always a math wizard and now runs his own business, even if it is only in pickle selling.

But there’d be no New York tale if things all went according to plan so through a twist of fate she develops a relationship with John (Ethan Hawke) a fellow professor at her college who is developing a book and asks Maggie to read what he has written so far. John is struggling with his marriage to Georgette (Julianne Moore) a Danish Columbia professor who is cold hearted, matter of fact and basically a bitch, so John and Greta fall for each other as their initial relationship develops. We then jump forward a couple of years and Maggie and John now live together, have a child and are also bringing up Johns children from his original marriage but Maggie is beginning to think she has made a mistake as John is only in love with how Maggie makes him feel rather than her as a person and she is losing control of her life, so she develops an idea which she believes will re-unite John with his former wife and leave her free to raise her child alone, thus Maggie’s Plan is formed.

Gerwig plays Maggie to a tee, both clever yet gullible, carefree and hippie like yet meticulous about her life plan and in control yet so out of control she doesn’t even realise it. Hawke plays a role which reminded me of his performance in Before Midnight, just as a more mature character. It was Moore who, as she often does, that took center stage when on screen as she initially seemed to be playing a comic caricature but soon it became apparent that she had her own flaws and ideals despite her frosty exterior. There are also excellent performances from Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph as Maggie’s best friends who’s chaotic life is as polar opposite to Maggie as can be but who are probably the most grounded couple in the whole movie. Hader in particular comes in with some super lines at the right moments which brings great levity to some of the darker moments in the film.

Director Rebecca Miller has put together a very well intertwined tale which has the feel of a stage play but which translates very well to the big screen. The dialogue and character development are very reminiscent of a Woody Allen type movie but each of the three main stars feels well rounded and are given enough time to build a genuinity about them and ensures that you get enough of a laugh out of the almost sit com style tale.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5.5 Out Of 10