CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE movie review

Review of Crazy, Stupid, Love starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

This summer we’ve seen bridesmaids get sick in their wedding party dresses, grown men have their second big hangover, and three childhood friends plot to kill their horrible bosses.  Some of that stuff has been very funny, but now it’s apparently time for a more mature comedy.

That’s not to say Crazy, Stupid, Love doesn’t have its share of misunderstandings, comedic twists and even crude humor.  It definitely does.  But this one is about a family going through a rough patch, and it treats it all with a combination of clever humor and sensitivity. 

Married couple Cal and Emily (Steve Carell and Julianne Moore) are going through a breakup.  Cal finds himself having to get an apartment and spending a lot of time alone at a neighborhood bar.  He spends a lot of time observing the bar’s resident ladies man Jacob (Ryan Gosling) working his magic night after night, and Jacob takes him under his wing.  Cal had become complacent in his relationship and his sense of personal style, and Jacob whips him into shape and teaches him… well.. how to get laid.

Crazy, Stupid, Love is mostly Cal’s story, and Carell pulls it off very well.  In a way, he’s been in this role before.  It’s not far off from the sensitive lovelorn character he played in Dan In Real Life, or the bored husband he played in Date Night, or honestly, the guy who wants to finally “get some” in The 40-Year-Old Virgin  (shamelessly, this movie even uses an exact joke from Virgin).  Now that he’s left The Office for a full-time film career, Carell may want to branch out before we can predict what he’ll play in every movie. 

But that’s a caution, not a criticism – if you’ve been through a breakup, you feel for Cal.  The end of his marriage isn’t necessarily anyone’s fault.  Neither really saw it coming.  Cal and Emily are more victims of not trying hard enough than of anything else.  They’re likeable people who clearly love their kids and lead a decent life.  She doesn’t get as detailed a story as Carell, but we end up feeling for Emily as much as Cal as she tries to get “out there” herself.  Moore turns in her usually good performance.

The previews will have you think this movie has parallel stories going on – they show Cal getting out there and having fun while Jacob meets the woman of his dreams (Emma Stone) and thinks about settling down.  That’s kind of true, but it’s a long time before Jacob’s plot kicks in.  When it does, it feels a little tacked on and seems like a curious way to go – but as it resolves itself, you see why director Glenn Ficarra and John Requa laid this out like they did.

There are some other stories going on at the same time too.  Cal and Emily’s son is a hopeless romantic in love with his babysitter – who only has eyes for Cal.  There are some cute moments there, although the plot takes a turn it probably shouldn’t have.  Still, Analeigh Tipton does a great job as a relatable awkward teenager going through an awkward time with the father and the son – she’s cute and not some throwaway ditz.Crazy, Stupid, Love does get a little crazy and a little stupid, but mostly it stays grounded in its likeable and real characters.  There are some good laugh-out-loud moments, some times you’ll get a little bummed, but ultimately, you’ll be satisfied and will give it a little love.