Crazy, Stupid, Love Review
By David Kempler
A Little Crazy But Not That Stupid
I saw a mainstream, romantic comedy that didn't make me want to wretch with disgust. "Crazy, Stupid, Love" is intermittently funny and once or twice caused me to emit hearty laughs, and that is no easy task. There is even a comedic scene that is one of my favorites in recent memory.
The plot is unremarkable, but that is to be expected when dealing with Hollywood films designed to play to a wide audience. However, screenwriterDan Fogelman has constructed good stuff, with the help of a cast that is excellent, and at times hilarious. Glenn Ficarra directs and displays a deft hand at constructing scenes that work seamlessly.
Early on, Cal (Steve Carell) is informed by his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), that she is divorcing him. He reacts by jumping out of their moving vehicle, but this is silly comedy, so serious injury is averted. Cal has no choice but to adjust to his newfound single life, so he goes to bars, drinks himself silly and gets nowhere. Jacob (Ryan Gosling) is the resident stud patron of the same bar, and for some unknown reason that makes no sense at all, he takes Cal under his wing. He tosses Cal's wardrobe out and massages him into a junior stud. While Cal is learning the ropes, Jacob beds every good looking gal in the bar by walking up to them and telling them that they already know that they want to take him home, so why not save time and just leave now. Yeah, he's a sleaze bucket, but he manages to make us not hate him, and I'm sure the ladies in the audience didn't object either.
When Cal finally does score, the lady is played by Marisa Tomei and she might be the best character in the flick. Ms. Tomei never disappoints and once again she steals all of her scenes. Cal evolves and starts scoring regularly. Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Emily is wondering whether she made the right decision. She had been having an affair with a work colleague (Kevin Bacon) and it is still going on, but Bacon almost seems more sleazy than Jacob. You can probably figure out where it goes from there, yet it's the way that it gets there that distinguishes all connected.
When "Crazy, Stupid, Love" hits its climax, the stage has been beautifully set and everyone contributes to that climax and it's the great comedic scene that I wrote about earlier. What makes it even better is that there's a little bit of edge to the scene and its aftermath. Yeah, it gets watered down a little bit by the requisite
let's all learn a lesson bull, but even after that, it still shoots a few decent darts. Teens will like this, as will their parents. You don't have to be a blathering simpleton to enjoy this romantic comedy. Since this happens about once every five years, I suggest you get crazy and take it in.
