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How entertaining? ★★★☆☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆ 1 September 2011
This article is a review of CRAZY STUPID LOVE. |
"When I told you when I had to work late? I really went to go see the new TWILIGHT movie by myself, and it was so bad," Emily.
Having Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in a picture is usually a stamp of quality. Their choices seem discerning and interesting. All three in the same film surely counteracts the presence of Steve Carell, who delivered not one, but a trio of duds last year (DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, DESPICABLE ME and DATE NIGHT). A title like CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE could fill those queasy about Hollywood rom-coms with trepidation. However, that fear is quickly allayed. The opening sequence is at a restaurant between husband Cal (Carell) and wife Emily (Moore), where both say what they want at the same time; he says “crème brûlée”, she says “divorce”. This is also from Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who wrote and directed the excellent I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS, and wrote the awesome BAD SANTA. Exactly! This could be fantastic right? They might even bring Carell back to his best stuff – ANCHORMAN, THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and GET SMART.
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Most of the film is a joy. Cal leaves Emily when he finds out she slept with her colleague David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). He is shluby and comes into the sphere of serial womaniser Jacob (Gosling), who Mr. Miyagi-like transforms Cal from a one-lady-only man into a playa; one conquest includes Marisa Tomei’s Kate. Added into the mix is Cal’s son Robbie, who is in love with his babysitter Jessica, who in turn is in love with Cal. Meanwhile Stone’s Hannah is being persuaded by her BFF that she is slumming it by dating Josh Groban’s Richard. What a cast right!
A big coincidence in a film, especially of the mainstream variety feels lazy as the tool is used to often. CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE has a host of them, and works them well into the plot for laughs and awkwardness. At times there is a screw-ball element which adds even more energy. I thought where is this going? As well as “Please don’t drop the ball! Please don’t drop the ball!” They drop the ball. The ending is so neat with a cringey, crappy climax. And not in a good way. While it doesn’t derail the pleasure from someone looking for a bit of fun from a movie, it certainly makes it a little too forgettable unfortunately.
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