Review: Crazy Stupid Love

Crazy, Stupid, Love is the story of finding your soul mate and stopping at nothing to be with them.

The scenario of a beautiful and romantic dinner between Cal (Steve Carell) and his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore). Well it should be romantic. Highlighting the non effort on Cal’s part, with his lack of style or grace, they prepare to order their dinner. Emily announces that she has something to say and Cal hears from his wife what he didn’t see coming, that she wants a divorce.

Cal takes the news wonderfully and decides to roll out of the car on the way home. His wife wanting to a divorce is just the icing on the cake because she has admitted to having an affair with her co-worker David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). Trust me, you will remember the name David Lindhagen when Crazy, Stupid, Love ends.

The divorce comes as a shock to their young son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo), who has moments earlier received a shock of his own. His babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), who he secretly loves caught him masturbating. Robbie is devastated and thinks that Jessica will never return his love, but he will never give up. Unfortunately for him, Jessica has the hots for Robbie’s Dad, Cal.

If love triangles aren’t your thing then I can’t recommend this movie.

Nevertheless, Cal is out on his own, wallowing, night after night in a local bar. A fellow patron named Jacob (Ryan Gosling), knows all about Cal’s sad love story and he is willing to help Cal get his manhood back. He believes that is the number one reason that Cal’s wife left him.

The movie soars in the moments between Carell and Gosling. They play off each other with great fluidity. It would be great to see them featured together again. On the other hand, Ryan Gosling seems to captivate in every scene in appears in this film. His moments with Hannah (Emma Stone), are wonderful and woefully too short. If only more time was spent on this romance as opposed to the other two the movie would be better for it.

Crazy, Stupid, Love manages to hit all the right notes a romantic comedy should hit. It manages to mix in a little of ‘What Not to Wear’ with great relationship drama. What’s important about Crazy, Stupid, Love is that true love does exist and its worth fighting for. That’s a message I can easily get behind.

REPOSTED DUE TO US DVD/BD RELEASE.

Crazy Stupid Love
Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone