Rating:  

Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Annaleigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon, Joey King, Beth Littleford, John Carroll Lynch, Liza Lapira, Josh Groban.
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Director: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 118 Mins.
Release Date: July 29, 2011
Home Video Release Date: TBD
Box Office: $82.1 Million
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Carousel Productions and Warner Bros. Pictures.

Written by: Dan Fogelman.

“Crazy, Stupid, Love.” is as wonderfully entertaining a film as it is frustrating. There are moments that grab your heart in a genuine and real way and others that clumsily feel around for a pulse. The dichotomy between deciphering what is real and true and what is disingenuous and false does lie at the heart of the film, so thankfully, there are enough good, and on occasion great moments, to carry this across the finish line.

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (I Love You, Phillip Morris), “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” documents four distinctive storylines which all channel their way through the lives of Cal and Emily Weaver (Steve Carell and Julianne Moore). Married for 25 years, with children, Emily announces that she would like a divorce from Cal, catching him completely off guard as they prepare to order dessert on a dinner date. Emily acknowledges that she is unhappy, has had an affair, and Cal agrees to move out that same night.

A couple of days later, Cal finds himself in a bar and as he downs yet another vodka cranberry, he observes a young, handsome man moving effortlessly from woman to woman. On subsequent nights, the pattern repeats until the lothario of the local bar, Jacob (Ryan Gosling), locks eyes with the schlubby and depressed Cal. After calling Cal over and mentioning that everyone in the bar knows Cal’s story, Jacob decides to reinvent Cal, giving him a “Project: Makeover” style reboot. The new clothes, look, and haircut give Cal confidence and with Jacob’s nudging approval, he sets out in a brave new world of dating, employing techniques and strategies which never fail for his mentor, Jacob.

Hannah (Emma Stone) is a law school student who is readying herself to take the bar exam and in the eyes of her best friend, Liz (Liza Lapira), she has disappointingly settled for her boring and uninteresting boyfriend, Richard (Josh Groban). Liz cannot stand the fact that Hannah is ready to commit long-term to Richard and after a chance encounter occurs between Hannah and Jacob in that same local bar, Liz senses that Hannah seeks more out of her life.

Finally, Cal and Emily’s son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo), is 13 and a bright and successful 8^th grader, who is hopelessly locked into a crush on his babysitter, the 17-year old Jessica (Analeigh Tipton). Robbie is convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jessica is his soulmate and they are destined to be together. Robbie is obsessed with the love of his life, but Jessica has her sights set elsewhere and has her own unquenchable determination to connect with her soulmate as well.

“Crazy, Stupid, Love.” covers a fair amount of ground, but the screenplay by Dan Fogelman (Tangled, Cars 1 and 2, Bolt) finds a weight and a gravitas behind each of these characters. With everyone referenced above, we develop an understanding behind motivations, choices, and potentially damaging decisions. There are moments in “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” that feel real, tangible, and pure.

Largely this emanates from good to strong performances from virtually all the major players. Carell and Moore are properly uncomfortable in their scenes together, trying to search through their heartbreak to see if the remnants of who they thought they were still exist. Emma Stone continues to impress in a more nuanced turn than her breakout work in 2010′s “Easy A”. Another terrific performance comes from Analeigh Tipton as the lovestruck babysitter, Jessica. To share more of her story would be to reveal some important plot developments, but Tipton has several fantastic moments not only in struggling with Robbie’s obsession, but also in coming to terms with her burgeoning desires.

Anchoring the film is a fantastic performance by Ryan Gosling, who doesn’t just make Fogelman’s vision of Jacob blossom into something above-average, he makes it soar off the screen. Gosling has been consistently one of the finest actors working over the last several years and he continues to show an unparalleled depth and range with the characters he embodies. He is at the center of two powerful scenes in the film – a touching, extended sequence with Stone’s Hannah and a tense talk late in the film with Carell’s Cal.

However, with so much working in the film…”Crazy, Stupid, Love.” has some troubling flaws in the final 20-25 minutes that are confounding. To see “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” misfire when it shouldn’t is maddening because similar to a recent romantic comedy, “Friends With Benefits”, which opts for an unnecessary and mawkish yank at the heartstrings, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” devolves into an escalating series of goofiness which stands in stark opposition to the emotional heights the film hits before it.

Watching this tonal shift, I started to turn against the film. A climactic moment occurs at the end of the school year, near the end of the film, which is so patently absurd and disarmingly unnecessary, it feels as if the studio interjected and demanded a Hollywood-style ending. To be brutally honest, I became crazy and stupid in frustration when Fogelman’s screenplay should have reeled me in hook, line, and sinker. In the right conversation, I can tear the film apart easily based on these moments.

And yet, I can’t completely destroy “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” because if I try to, I cannot ignore how well those first 80-90 minutes play, how wonderful Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell and Julianne Moore and Analeigh Tipton are throughout. How the film succeeded in making me care about characters that I may not give a second thought about in a lesser romantic comedy. And truth be told, I think I really like so much of the film that I can give it a reserved recommendation. That I am not as enthusiastic about the film as I thought I was going to be is a crazy, stupid, disappointment.

Should I See It?

YES

Ryan Gosling. In a year rapidly becoming his breakout year, he takes a standard romantic comedy contrivance and gives his Jacob Palmer heart, subtlety, and tremendous depth. Gosling is terrific, as is Emma Stone, and much of the rest of the ensemble.When the film works, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” hits high marks in delivering some raw, real, and powerful moments which are thought-provoking and affecting.

Romantic comedy fans will appreciate something which for a long time, feels different, original, and fresh.

NO

This may look to be a tough sell to those who are exhausted with romantic comedies.Ultimately, how much you like the first 80-90 minutes will dictate how much you can handle the film’s shift in tone and feel. The change is so jarring that you may feel cheated by the end.

One subplot involving minor, underage characters may send a conflictory message about youthful love and innocence.