I pretty much agree, but after Euphoria no one should be surprised by Levinson's "poetic" style.

That said, I would've cut 20 minutes - starting with the rant about critics - and focus on the dysfunctional relationship of the two. That's the core of the film, and it's good, you just need to find it behind one too many layers. But again, I like Levinson, though this is far from his best.