Crazy, Stupid, Love | Review
‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ is a feel-good film about good people trying to deal with one of the most complicated concepts known to man – love. Sure, the characters in the film commit adultery, take dirty photographs, and have plenty of one-night stands, but even then they’re still likable characters, just confused and trying to find their way to love and happiness. The film is a fairly mature PG-13 romantic-comedy told through multi-generational story arcs, all sweet, and by the end we walk away with a smile on our face.
Steve Carell (‘The Office’ & ‘Dinner for Schmucks’) portrays the main character, Cal Weaver, who finds himself surprised when his wife of 25 years tells him over dinner one night she wants a divorce. Cal’s wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), has been cheating on him with a co-worker of hers (played by Kevin Bacon, of course). As Cal tries to deal with the stress of getting a divorce with the only woman he’d ever loved, he spends many nights at a fancy bar where he’s eventually noticed by a suave womanizer named Jacob (Ryan Gosling). Cal agrees to let Jacob help him find his so-called “manhood” again, and thus a montage of Jacob helping Cal buy new clothes, shoes, and a new haircut occurs.
Thankfully, this fairly cliche “young guy helps middle-aged guy look hot” act of the film comes and goes by quickly. The film starts off a little dull, boring and predictable, but it soon kicks into high-gear after Jacob gives Cal a make-over. Soon, Cal develops the courage to ask out random women at the same fancy bar and hooks up with them, one of which is a crazy school teacher name Kate (Marisa Tomei).
While Cal is on his own adventure, his 13-year-old son is having predicaments of his own. His son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo) is in love with his 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), but she doesn’t return the same feelings to Robbie, and is instead too in love with his father, Cal. As for Jacob, after he’s done with Cal he encounters a girl who’s a game-changer, someone who makes him want to ditch his serial-dating ways and actually establish a long-term relationship. This special young woman is Hannah (Emma Stone), a soon-to-be lawyer who lives a PG-13 life and wants to change that.
‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ doesn’t live up to the “crazy” in its title until the final act of the film, where great reveals are made and all of the love storylines clash. The film does a fairly decent job at revealing certain details, and hiding necessary ones from its viewers until the time is right. Certain aspects of the film are manipulative, but it never cheats or feels forced.
There are many great moments in the film, but there are a certain view that can be considered the most heart-warming or the most honest. There’s a scene in ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ where Cal and Emily are over the phone having a conversation about a water-heater. This simple, yet sweet scene has the two characters’ emotions flung throughout, showing how they’re both still in love. The same emotions can be seen when Cal and Emily are waiting outside Robbie’s teacher’s classroom for a parent-teacher conference. Cal reveals his true feelings regarding the divorce situation, as well as the relationship between he and Emily. The other just-as-sweet scene involves Jacob taking Hannah back to his place where he opens up about his personal life for the first time. The chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is evident in the scenes that take place in Jacob’s house. Finally, the film’s climactic brawl between its various characters outside Cal and Emily’s backyard is one of the biggest highlights of the film, though less sweet and more funny.
‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ is directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the duo who gave us ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’. The two direct this film with charm and fun, not without the help of Dan Fogelman’s nice and sentimental screenplay. But the real winning aspect of ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ is in its cast. With a cast as appealing and spectacular as this, how could you not fall for the film? Steve Carell goes through the film balancing subtle humor and perfect comedic timing with genuine emotions well, and Ryan Gosling shows he can be just as funny as he can be an actor, as he’s already proven his acting capabilities (most recently in the critically-acclaimed ‘Blue Valentine’). Emma Stone is as loving as always, and I’m looking forward to seeing her a film every year from now on. Stone’s cameo a few weeks ago in ‘Friends With Benefits’ was nice, but it was just a tease for her role in ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ where we get to experience more of her in sweet and humorous form. The beautiful Julianne Moore played an adulterer also in last year’s ‘The Kids Are All Right‘, but like that film her performance keeps her character of Emily enjoyable and likable throughout.
I like ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’; it has the perfect blend of fun, humor, and romance. The film stays mature even when its characters aren’t, and it never feels sappy, always sweet. The ending is really satisfying, and the various storylines are given their proper closure. It’s a happy ending, one in favor of all the characters’ happiness.