When nearly divorced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) begins hanging around a trendy LA bar he meets Jacob (Ryan Gostling), a handsome slick talker who offers to tutor him in the art of being single. What starts out as a lounge lizard Pygmalion actually blossoms into a deeper friendship as Cal begins to see the world through different eyes and Jacob meets the girl of his dreams. Interwoven are two other love stories-the trials of Cal’s son (Jonah Bobo) who thinks his babysitter (Analeigh Tipton) is his soul mate and Hannah’s (Emma Stone) search for the right guy.
Richard: ****
Mark: ****
Richard: As good as Steve Carell is here I have a feeling the person everyone will be talking about on the way out of the theatre is Ryan Gostling. He reveals a gift for comedy, a magnificent abdominal area and the ability to take a stereotype and turn it into a living, breathing character. Agree or no?
Mark: Yes, this is a great leap forward for an actor who has played a variety of depressives, mumblers, and addicts. He looks great in a sharp cut jacket and crackles with charisma. Of course, he’s got the fun role, but still, he adds something extra to the stock character of the lothario with a wounded heart. And by the way the female members of the audience swooned when he took off his shirt, Gosling has matured into one fine Canada Goose.
RC: It’s true. Young Hercules seems like a long time ago now. If Gosling can erase his slightly embarrassing TV past away, then I think this is the movie that will go a long way to erase the image of Steve Carell as that guy from The Office. He was masterful on that show and has been good in other movies-particularly as the depressed Uncle Frank in Little Miss Sunshine – but here he absolutely nails the mix of comedy and pathos needed to make Crazy, Stupid, Love so memorable.
MB: Right, but I couldn’t help notice your lack of praise for his recent film work, which I find tepid and dweeby. Here Carell can get his chops into a script that goes beyond his usual hangdog schlemiels and grow a pair. And it’s a joy to watch. But Richard, let’s not leave out the perfectly cast supporting roles. I loved both the babysitter and Carell’s 13-year-old son. Any other standouts for you? Or can we give the directing team their kudos? I’ve rarely seen better direction in a rom/com.
RC: I agree all round. It’s a cut above the usual rom com, reminding more of the Neil Simon relationship movies of the Seventies that were family dramas disguised as sex comedies. As for the supporting cast, I have to say I called it for Emma Stone when I first saw her in Superbad and predicted she will be a superstar any second now.
MB: By the way, I wasn’t sure about the movie at first. The plot seemed to be too close to something Dane Cook might have done in his brief heyday, but then it ripened into a full-fledged, perfect farce with all the plot strands coming together perfectly. The ending’s a bit sentimental, and I’ve always hated when characters express their feelings in a Big Speech, but these are tiny quibbles.
