Crazy, Stupid, Love [Review by Parsi]

Hilarious.  Clever.  Genuine. Crazy, Stupid, Love is a must watch.  Do yourself a favor and take in this treat.

I must admit that I did not expect a great film, but that was delivered.  The previews led me to believe this would be a played-out Rom-Com, with a touch if Indie gloom and Steve Carrell moping.  No doubt this film has a few touches of those elements, but it is so much more and those elements are played beautifully.

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa did a terrific job tandem directing this film.  Dual directors may be a rarity, but this is an example of how great an idea it can be.  It is clear that Ficarra and Requa are successful playing off of one another.  They tease out such subtlety and pacing in the film that the nearly 2 hour run time passes effortlessly.

Writer Dan Fogelman produced an exquisite script.  The story is both tender and witty.  It is told with an exceptional sense for each character; their pangs and motivations are bared.

The movie is funny.  Laugh out loud (the real kind, not the lol text kind) belly aching funny.  Plus, it is sustained.  We are not just hit by the occasional side splitter and left waiting for the next, strung along with a tepid plot.  We are rolled from joke to joke.  The humor also does not come at one repeated level.  It hits at all levels.  Physical comedy is followed by topical humor and topped with irony.  Each character exudes a humor of her own.

But, the film is more than funny.  It is touching and awkward and most importantly sincere.  The film tugs and pulls you along.  You feel real sympathy for the characters and their situations.  You can feel Ryan Gosling come to terms with his empty womanizing.  You experience the difficulty of divorce from the children to the parents — everything from the first time at Dad’s apartment to the desperate attempts to make it all seem normal.

The film also effectively handles a series of subplots that careen in and out of one another.  Each story is developed and nurtured.  They all have growth and conclusion.  You experience a series of well told stories that are wrapped together.  Too often, side plots are dropped, left hanging, or forced — making me wonder why they are there at all.  None of these stories is left to the side.  Nothing feel superfluous.

Steve Carrell plays Cal, a man whose wife has cheated on him and wants a divorce.  He does have elements of his traditionally moping characters, he is even called out for it.  He is bumbling and despondent, but rather than simply simmering in this shtick, he develops into a playboy.  There is a richness to his character that he we have seldom seen in his previous roles.  This is his best effort to date.

Julianne Moore is her normal fabulous self as Carl’s wife.  She wears her struggles beautifully.  A truly torn character.  She ebbs from loathsome to sympathetic.  Her cheating reveal is not as gut wrenching as a similar reveal in Magnolia, but it stings.

Ryan Gosling is refreshing.  I thought he would be a flat and unimaginative.  Instead, he is charismatic and compelling.  During one scene he sits at a bar and observes Carrell, taking pity on him and choosing to help.  You can see precisely what he is thinking before he speaks a word.

Emma Stone is lovely.  A cheery, spunky little treat.  Even in a smaller role, her great talent is obvious.

Analeigh Tipton and Jonah Bobo have breakout performances.  Tipton captures the awkwardness of no longer being a girl and not yet being a woman.  She is adorable.  Her face is so expressive and she performs with a subtlety that is beyond her years.  You sense her discomfort with a simple tug of her hair.  Bobo plays a too young hopeless romantic.  He is charming and persistent.

I have too much praise to heap on this film.  If there is a fault, it is minor.  The film has an element of heavy handed moralizing.  It is plopped atop the film like a cherry on a sundae.  I am no fan of maraschino cherries, but some people think they pull the sundae together.  But, the great thing about a maraschino cherry is that they are easy to remove if you do not like them (perhaps shared with someone who does enjoy them) because they are such a minor part.  In the end, this minor issue really did little to detract from a great film.

In the end, this is a very well put together film.  It is funny, smart, and touching.  I implore you to watch it.

PARSI VERDICT: You have to be crazy or stupid to miss this film; you are sure to love it.

See what the other half thinks: Haus’s view.