Starring:- Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Emma Stone and Kevin Bacon.
Directors:- Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
I have to say that I was looking forward to this movie. I hadn't heard much about it until I saw it as a trailer for Contagion. It looked funny, with a decent cast and had some good reviews. The 'Rom-Com' genre has been lacking recently, yet Crazy, Stupid, Love delivers... kind of.
Hapless and middle-aged, Cal Weaver (Carell) has slipped into a big rut and if he hasn't noticed his wife Emily (Moore) certainly has. Looking for more she calmly informs Cal that she has conducted an affair with David Lindhagen (Bacon), a work colleague. With the help of a newfound friend, Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) he sets about rediscovering his manhood, reinventing himself in the process.
There are no better rom-coms than Crazy, Stupid, Love this decade. This movie manages to avoid obvious and lazy pitfalls all too evident in this genre. Well paced, the film held my attention until near the end, a part which would have benefited from a quick trim. The laughs came thick and fast, notably from the interchanges from the chemistry developed by Carell and Gosling. Carell being the man most of us are (you know you are really), Gosling playing the guy we all wish we were. As a married man myself, Cal Weaver's plight is my worst nightmare and led me to ask myself how I would react in a similar situation- in exactly the same way probably, babbling nervously in bars to women way out of my league. We already know that Carell plays the awkward 40 something year old with aplomb, but in Cal Weaver we get more depth; he shows Weaver's pain excellently.
The plot, if a little contrived in the end, worked. The subplots worked very well together, playing out smoothly, knitting well. The film actually means something, rather than being unnecessary powder puff. This film is no cliché exploring love convincingly. The directors, Ficarra and Requa (I Love You, Phillip Morris) strike a great balance between comedy and drama. Never are we weighed down as an audience as the tough family themes are lightened with laughs in the right places, resulting in a film with some bite.
As enjoyable as the film was, indeed a step up in its genre, certain aspects were a little troubling. We see Weaver's 13 year old song basically stalking his 17 year old babysitter relentlessly, even after she tells him to stop and that he's making her uncomfortable. In the real world I think this behaviour would have not been laughed off, and even celebrated in the end. Restraining orders have been imposed for less.
Whereas the ending is good, and we don't see it coming, it is a little difficult to believe. I can't say too much but the 'Nana' pseudo-character is contrived at best. In reality we would have seen a more powerful reaction from her throughout the film, not just at the end. Annoyingly, although the story was good, the film seems to play in two parts. Firstly, it focuses on Weaver, then seems just to end on the that note then flit suddenly into following Jacob's life. I just wished the stories could have run concurrently rather than butting up to each other.
You can forgive the shortcomings. They are more than recompensed by a well-acted strong cast, providing genuine, believable chemistry as they convincingly explore their relationships. Worth a watch.
IMDB.com rating:- 7.4 (257, 903 votes)
Supermegahybrid rating:- 3.5 stars
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