'Crazy, Stupid, Love.' has a great cast. Steve Carell is at the top of his game playing a divorced man trying to recreate himself. He shows more here than we have seen from him in the past and he can be very good in the more dramatic moments. Julianne Moore as the ex wife does a great job as always, but the breakthrough performances here come from the younger leads.
Ryan Gosling goes terrifically beyond cliches with his ultimate ladies man Jacob, who becomes a sort of mentor for Carell's Cal. Jacob breaks Cal free of his inhibitions and teaches him the way of the Lothario, but when Jacob meets Hannah played by Emma Stone, the roles are reversed and Cal must show Jacob the art of having a real relationship.
Emma Stone is terrific. She shows a great deal of depth, and manages to be cute, sexy, funny, and moving all at the same time.I wonder though, if anyone else has noticed that this is the second film in as many years for her that heavily references 'The Scarlett Letter' (the first being 'Easy A').
There are standout performances by the young Jonah Bobo as Cal's son Robbie and Analeigh Tipton as Jessica, his babysitter, for whom he has quite a case of puppy love. We are treated to some delightful cameos by the likes of Marisa Tomei, Beth Littleford, Kevin Bacon and even Josh Groban. I was even pleasantly surprised by the 'twist' in the end, but that's because honestly, I wasn't really looking for one.
So if you're in the mood for a well acted and smart romantic comedy, you don't have to wait until december. Skip the "No String's Attached's, and the Something Borrowed's, and see 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.'.
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Good to know, Mr. Whipster! I tend to avoid romantic comedies like the plaque, but I love everyone in this cast. Particularly, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore. After reading your review, I think I'll have to go against my normal avoidance of this film genre and give it a chance. I look forward to reading more of your reviews!
ReplyDeleteUm, yeah...that would be "plague" not "plaque"...;)
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