Movie Review: 'Crazy, Stupid, Love' a nice reworking of an old story
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 3:52pm
"Crazy, Stupid, Love," a romantic comedy currently showing at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City, is a romantic comedy built on the well-trod idea of love, fall out of love, fall in love and live happily ever after, a la such as "The Phlaelpia Story" of times gone by. The cast, chiefly Steve "Cyrano-nosed" Carrell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, is excellent, pros to a turn.
Story is Cal (Carrell) and Emily (Moore are driving along and she blurts out that she's been sleeping with someone from the office. Cal reacts by opening the car door and rolling out as the car is moving, possibly in LA, but it isn't clear. That's as intense as their actions get here.
Meanwhile, babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), 17, walks in on Cal and Emily's 13-year-old son Robbie (Jonah Bobo) but promises not to tell. He says it was all right as at the climatic moment he was thinking of her (shades of Romeo and Juliet).
Cal moves out of the house and spends time tending the bcd yard of their house and going to a bar and sipping drinks through a straw. There he is taken under wing of Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a slick stud with any and all women. He dresses Cal anew, changes his hair and his luck, meanwhile falling for Carrell's daughter Hannah (Emma Stone). Cal makes out with nine women he picks up. And recent law school grad finds the guy at the office doesn't love her, just wants her on the staff. Naturally, Hannah winds up with Jacob in the longest no-sex sex scene in recent memory.
Meanwhile, at Cal's office, a fellow exec commiserates with Cal over his illness. Cal says he isn't ill. Fellow exec says loudly but we heard you crying in the john and thought it was cancer. Cal explains about the pending divorce and his coworker shouts to the office staff, "It's OK, he doesn't have cancer, he's just getting a divorce," to which one and all cheer.
This is probably LA, remember. And jokes come where you can find them.
Moore never looks too comfortable in her role and Carrell is Carrell, straight guy solid looks. Gosling fits the lounge lizard role perfectly and Stone is upbeat and ebullient as appropriate. Bobo is properly teenaged and Tipton is a lanky sensitive lass. The ensemble cast works well and if the ending, where Cal and Emily relive old times, is a bit of a a drag, never mind. Carrell carries it off well, Gosling is slick and all the many women in the bar a reflection of what Hollywood thinks populates upscale bars.
Summer fare, but superior such stuff.
— Sam Bauman
Cast
— Steve Carell as Cal Weaver
— Ryan Gosling as Jacob Palmer
— Julianne Moore as Emily Weaver
— Emma Stone as Hannah Weaver
— Marisa Tomei as Kate
— Kevin Bacon as David Lindhagen
— Analeigh Tipton as Jessica Riley
— Julianna Guill as Madison
— Crystal Reed as Amy Johnson
— John Carroll Lynch as Bernie Riley
— Beth Littleford as Claire Riley
— Josh Groban as Richard
— Liza Lapira as Liz
— Mekia Cox as Tiffany
— Jonah Bobo as Robbie Weaver
— Joey King as Molly Weaver
— Richard Steven Horvitz as Lowe's assistant
— Reggie Lee as Officer Huang
Directed by: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Produced by: Steve Carell, Vance DeGeneres, Charlie Hartsock, David A. Siegel, Denise Di Novi
Written by: Dan Fogelman
Music by: Christophe Beck, Nick Urata
Cinematography by: Andrew Dunn
Editing by: Lee Haxall
Rated PG-13, running time: two hours
