Crazy Stupid Love

Compared to last weekend's pleasant yet generic Friends with Benefits, here is an adult romantic comedy that really works. By the way, "adult" in this case means sophisticated and smart, rather than raunchy. Crazy Stupid Love rises above the usual formula with somewhat ambitious plotting, honest characters that we can relate to, and some genuine surprises that I wasn't expecting while i was watching the movie. Yes, the movie is funny and likable, but it also caught me off guard a couple times, which is always welcome. The movie doesn't always work, but this is one of the stronger romantic comedies of the year.

Taking an approach similar to 2003's Love Actually, the movie is an ensemble piece with various storylines ultimately connecting. The only problem with the screenplay by Dan Fogelman (Tangled) is that it occasionally spends too much time on certain plots or characters, abandoning others for long periods of time. It doesn't get to the point that we forget the other stuff is there, but some more balance or equal screen time would have been appreciated. That being said, the directing team of Glenn Ficara and John Requa (I Love You, Phillip Morris) juggle the multiple plots well, and the movie is edited in such a way that it feels like one big cohesive narrative, rather than the movie is jumping around from story to story. Eventually, everyone does play some part, and all the storylines come together in a satisfying way. This is an entertaining and well thought-out comedy.

The central focus of the film is Cal (Steve Carell), a man who married young when his high school sweetheart Emily (Julianne Moore) got pregnant at 17. They had some more kids over the years, have a beautiful home, and seem to have it all, until Emily suddenly announces during a dinner date that she has been having an affair with a man at her office (Kevin Bacon, at his slimy best), and that she wants a divorce. Cal moves out of the house, and begins spending his evenings at a local cocktail lounge, wallowing in self pity over cheap alcoholic drinks. This brings him to the attention of lady's man Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who decides to take Cal under his wing, and give him a new look on life with a fresh wardrobe and a new shot of confidence. Cal is reluctant at first, but after his first successful night of sex with a flighty woman he meets at the bar (Marisa Tomei, hilarious here), he starts to enter the world of dating again. Yet, through it all, Cal misses Emily, calling her "the perfect combination of sexy and cute".

There are multiple other plots competing for our attention, as well. Emily has not yet entered a relationship with the man she slept with, and with all of their friends and neighbors taking sides in Cal and Emily's break up, it's hard for her to decide if she made the right decision or not. We also meet Hannah (Emily Stone), a young woman who after her long-time boyfriend (recording artist Josh Groban) refuses to propose, heads out for the same cocktail lounge Cal hangs out, and hooks up with Jacob. This begins a guarded relationship between the two - Hannah knows that Jacob is a lady's man, and that she probably should not get involved, while Jacob begins to feel true love for the first time during the nights he spends with Hannah. There is also a bizarre love triangle focused on Cal, the 17-year-old girl who babysits his kids, Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), who has secret feelings for him, and Cal's 13-year-old son Robbie (Jonah Bobo), who harbors not-so-secret feelings for Jessica.

I guess it could be considered a box office gamble that Crazy Stupid Love mainly focuses on the middle aged couple who have been married for 25 years, rather than the younger couple of Hannah and Jacob, but that is also one of its better qualities. Since Cal and Emily are the central figures of the screenplay, it allows the movie to deal with some subjects we don't get quite as often in romantic comedies, such as a relationship becoming dry and routine as the years go on. Yeah, it's been tackled before in other movies, but screenwriter Fogelman makes them honest and heartfelt characters, rather than having them screaming or fighting with each other. The other relationships in the film are obviously targeted at younger viewers, so the movie seems to be trying to cover multiple bases. For once, this does not feel like the film is pandering to multiple interests. The stories flow together nicely, and while I would have liked a bit more development on some of them, it ultimately is satisfying how all the multiple plots come together and are resolved.

The ensemble cast also carries the film a long way, with Carell and Moore having a deep personal connection, despite the pain they cause each other throughout the film, that a long-married couple needs. They're both wonderful here, and are allowed to play their characters genuinely, instead of for broad laughs. The same goes for everyone else, really. Stone and Gosling create some genuine sparks with their somewhat limited roles, while young newcomers Tipton and Bobo successfully navigate a tricky subplot dealing with some sensitive issues about very young love. I think what impressed me about the film is not that it's funny (which it is), but that everyone is allowed to talk, act, and think like real people. These are not throwaway characters pigeonholed into cliched types.

I'm certain that Crazy Stupid Love will be a hit with the date night crowd, and since the movie tackles love from multiple angles, I think people of different age groups will take something different away from it. This is a charming little movie that doesn't stand out much, but is really quite smart in its simplicity. It may sometimes come across as being understated, but this movie really does have a lot to say about different kinds of relationships.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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