Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Jonah Bobo, Analeigh Tipton, Liza Lapira, Josh Groban, John Carroll Lynch, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon
Directed By: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Written By: Dan Fogelman
Produced By: Steve Carell and Denise Di Novi
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Rating: PG-13, for coarse humor, sexual content and language.
Running Time: Approximately 118 minutes
Website: crazystupidlove.warnerbros.com
Budget: $45 million
Genre: Comedy
Release Date: July 29, 2011
It’s true: love can make even the most levelheaded person a little bit crazy and a little bit stupid, at times. The trick is to not let the pathos get the better of you.
Speaking of which, pathos takes center stage in the new romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love starring Steve Carell and Julianne Moore as high school sweethearts who’ve come to an impasse in their longtime relationship to which he’s completely oblivious and of which she’s all too aware.
At the film’s open, Cal (Carell) and Emily (Moore) are in the middle of a crowded restaurant on what is likely their umpteenth date night away from the kids. He’s debating whether or not to order dessert, and she’s sitting there opposite him, pensive. And in the first of several instances throughout the film where we’re called upon to suspend our disbelief, Cal blurts out what he wants for dessert while Emily, simultaneously, informs him she wants a divorce.
Oh, it gets even more melodramatic. On the way home, she wants to talk. He doesn’t, and informs her that if she doesn’t stop talking, he’ll step out. So, of course, she keeps talking. And without missing a beat, he then proceeds to open the passenger side door and falls out of the car while she’s driving roughly 30 mph.
So it’s clear early on that Crazy, Stupid, Love is not going to be your conventional romantic comedy; it’s going to be an exercise in seeing how many “whoa” moments a film can get away with while, hopefully, not alienating the audience. However, the film, written by Dan Fogelman, is a clever, shrewd, and funny examination of love’s complexities told from the perspective of three modern couples from different generations. Plus, the talented ensemble cast keeps the film on track no matter how inexplicable some of the scenarios they find themselves in become, or how outrageous their reactions to said scenarios play out.
Cal finds himself adrift back out in the dating scene after being with his “soul mate” for 25 years. One night at a local trendy bar he starts frequenting, Cal makes the acquaintance of Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a smooth and extremely successful lothario who decides to take on sad-sack Cal as his pet project after overhearing him tell anybody who’ll listen that his wife cuckolded him by having an ongoing affair with a work colleague (Kevin Bacon) of hers. Cal, with his Supercuts hair, boring, over-sized clothes, and criminal devotion to New Balance sneakers, is given an extreme makeover supervised by Jacob, who then schools him on how to pick up women.
Cal’s first conquest is a sexy teacher played by Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei, who’s essentially playing the same character she did in 2000’s What Women Want opposite Mel Gibson. As was the case with Women, she gives the film’s funniest performance in spite of the fact that her role is little more than a convenient plot device.
Around the same time, lady-killer Jacob finally meets his match in Hannah (the ubiquitous Emma Stone), a level-headed law student on the fast track who’s immune to his wanton charms. Instead, Hannah’s got googly eyes for her dreamy boss (Josh Groban) much to the disdain of her BFF, played by talented scene-stealer Liza Lapira. Meanwhile, in a charming yet awkward subplot, Cal and Emily’s 13-year-old son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo), actively pursues his “soul mate,” his younger sister’s 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), who, in turn, is pining away for an older guy.
Carell and Gosling make for one dynamic onscreen duo, their chemistry is great. While Carell is best known for his comedic work thanks to his long-running role on TV’s “The Office” and his work in films like Bruce Almighty, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, and Date Night, Gosling is best known more for his dramatic work in films such as Blue Valentine, Half Nelson, and The Notebook. Who knew he had it in him to be so funny? Much like Carell proved he’s got dramatic chops with his turns in Little Miss Sunshine and the underappreciated Dan in Real Life (which contains Carell’s best onscreen work to date), Gosling proves here that he’s got comedic chops. Hopefully he’ll get other opportunities to flex his comedic muscles onscreen. He and Stone spark together as well; their playful energy smoothes over the plot contrivances that put them in each other’s orbit.
Crazy, Stupid, Love is the sophomore directorial effort from Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the talented writer-directors responsible for I Love You, Phillip Morris starring Jim Carrey. Morris had a brilliant script, but their direction left something to be desired. Here, they’ve worked out some of the kinks they got hung up on the first time around. It’ll be interesting to see what they have up their sleeves next.
3.5 Stars
