Movie Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Oct 5 2011 by Ian Bunting, Airdrie & Coatbridge

CRAZY, Stupid, Love. tells the story of married couple Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) who appear to have a perfect life together... until Emily asks for a divorce.

Cal is then forced to tackle the single life with more than a little assistance from new bachelor friend Jacob (Ryan Gosling).

Crazy, Stupid, Love. is a bit different from the typical rom-com.

It starts with a dessert choice leading into Emily telling Cal she wants a divorce and what follows is a charming, at times touching, all-age ensemble about love and relationships.

Co-directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa only have 2009’s I Love You Phillip Morris on their back catalogue but they coax some fine work from their hip cast.

Their slo-mo shots of Gosling set up Jacob’s charm offensive and the first part of the movie plays like a better version of Will Smith’s Hitch, with Jacob teaching Cal his pulling techniques.

Dan Fogelman’s writing background is in animation (Tangled, Cars 2) and his script name-checks The Scarlet Letter, Dirty Dancing and Twilight.

Those films’ themes of young love, forbidden love, soulmates and promiscuity run throughout Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Two inappropriate crushes involving babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton) lead to several awkward, funny moments.

Carell plays a mix of pathetic and confident very well but the show is well and truly stolen by two of Hollywood’s fastest rising stars.

Gosling’s lothario could easily be a cocky chore to watch but he always keeps Jacob on the right side of likeable and shares fantastic chemistry with Emma Stone (Hannah).

Two very different first dates with Cal and Marisa Tomei’s crazy Kate and Jacob and Hannah are hilarious, and I would happily have sat through a full-length rom-com featuring the latter couple.

Special mention also goes to Jonah Bobo. As Cal’s teenage son Robbie, he gets lots of funny moments, including a foul-mouthed critique of The Scarlet Letter, a Google search and his reaction to Emily’s new boyfriend David (Kevin Bacon).

There’s also two fun story twists, some nicely acidic dialogue (Cal’s boss reacts to news of his divorce by saying “it could’ve been worse, it could’ve been cancer”) and little pieces of sweetness (Emily’s phone call to Cal).

At one point, one character says “what a cliche” when rain starts to pour down after an argument and while the film manages to largely stay clear of traditional rom-com trappings, a few sneak in.

The ending, while a nice wrap-up, is a bit too happy and neat. And would you really hand control of your life away to a complete stranger the way Cal allows with Jacob?

But these slight flaws aside, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is one of the better modern romantic-comedies and should appeal to cinema-goers of all ages.

Rating - 7 out of 10.