Movies: Crazy Stupid Love 'Review'
Movie:
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Genre:
Comedy, Romance, Drama
The Verdict:
More 'Sweet, Funny, Love' but it's unabashed sweetness, undisclosed humour and its terrifically talented cast more than make up for it!
Rating: 3 Stars
STARRING:
Steve Carell
Julianne Moore
Ryan Gosling
Kevin Bacon
Emma Stone
Analeigh Tipton
Jonah Bobo
Joey King
Marisa Tomei
Josh Groban
In short he's a bumbling mess and finds himself spending his free evenings sulking alone at a local bar. This is where he is taken on as wingman and protege to handsome, thirtysomething player Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). In an effort to help Cal get over his wife and start living his life, Jacob opens Cal's eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style that can't be found at The Gap. Cal, who is generally the epitome of un-cool and un-smooth finds little comfort in these short term liaisons and still loves and misses his wife.
Cal and Emily aren't the only ones looking for love in what might be all the wrong places: Cal's 13-year-old son, Robbie, is crazy about his 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica, who harbors quite an innocent crush on Cal. And despite Cal's makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that can't be made over is his heart, which seems to keep leading him back to where he began. In addition to this Hitch-style makeover story, Jacob finds himself falling for perky lawyer Hannah (Emma Stone), with whom he plays out an slightly awkward but sweet seduction scene.
Personally I found this film absolutely frickin hilarious - not sure if I was in a giddy mood already - but it was very enjoyable! The characters were really engaging, especially Steve Carell's who seems to have found a niche playing the recently dumped-upon, insecure 'loser in love' who suffers all this inner turmoil while trying to hold it together in everyday situations but never does - it shouldn't be funny but his out of control social awkwardness just makes it so!
Dan Fogelman’s script has zingers such as Cal’s co-worker telling him: “Amy heard you crying in the bathroom. We all thought it was cancer. Thank God! It’s just a divorce!” This was coupled with some unexpected twists - particularly a big one at the end and a few exquisitely awkward yet very funny seduction scenes - "Seriously? It's like your photoshopped!" cries Emma Stone in one! Brilliantly dry and sophisticated in its humour is this movie.