Crazy, Stupid, Love. is a terrific, lighthearted romantic comedy. In many of my reviews, I’ve stated that 2010 was the best year for movie releases, despite not having that one super scary or laugh-out-loud funny movie that you would expect a great year to have, I have also noted this to be the case. While 2011 has yet to come close to measuring up to 2010 (based on what I’ve been seeing/reading about the fall/award season releases), it has had some good movies. It’s had three films already that I would put in my Top 20 comedies of all time. I don’t think any of these are in that Top 10 range, but Horrible Bosses, The Hangover Part 2, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. All fall into that second tier. I believe Bridesmaids will also fall into this group once I see it. In terms of pure comedy, Crazy, Stupid, Love. doesn’t have as many laughs until your stomach hurts movies, but I would say that it is the best overall movie in this group. This movie had the potential to be great, but like many good movies that don’t reach that elevated status, there is a flaw in the screenplay that is very hard to ignore.

The plot of Crazy, Stupid, Love. is simple. In the film’s opening scene, Emily (Julianne Moore – The Kids Are All Right, A Single Man) tells Cal (Carell) that she has had an affair with a co-worker and wants a divorce. And so the spiral begins by telling the kids Cal is moving out of the house, falling into a minor slight depression (it is a comedy, after all), and trying to get on with his life. He spends his nights hanging out at a pickup bar. He enjoys drinking mixed drinks and trying to tell anyone who will listen about his broken marriage. He’s entirely out of his realm, and everyone knows it.

Jacob (Ryan Gosling – Blue Valentine, Half Nelson) is a regular at the bar Cal has been visiting. He’s a player who’s got his womanizing skills down to an art. He is interested in Cal and views Cal as a case study. He wants to teach Cal the art of seduction so that he can take a different woman home from the bar every night, as Jacob does. The scenes with Cal and Jacob are hilarious because of how opposite the people are when they first meet. It seems like an unlikely pair, but you can see the two men slowly building a true friendship as the movie progresses.

It’s unclear how long of a period this movie covers. Sometimes, it feels like the film takes place over two months. At other times, the movie might take place over something closer to a year. I prefer that this movie takes place over a more extended period. It’s hard to see how an even-keeled, goodhearted dad like Cal could change into a smooth-talking gigolo in such a short time.

Similarly, other essential characters change traits and habits that have been defined midway through the movie. Sometimes, it is difficult to buy into such radical shifts in a character’s behavior when insufficient evidence suggests that such a change could occur. That is a problem with character development with at least two main characters.

The other part of this movie that was hard to buy into was Cal’s not wanting to let go of Emily even though she had cheated on him. He tries to forget her. He tries to move on, but he’s still thinking about her. Two people may reach a point in their relationship where they believe they can survive anything despite hurting each other so badly. It doesn’t sound like fun and isn’t something I could move past. It was a little hard for me to like Emily or like the fact that Cal still liked Emily. Once in the situation, you must figure out how you would react.

It’s a funny movie with a heartwarming story. Check it out on Netflix or Redbox. If you are in a long-term relationship and feel secure with your significant other, watch it with them. Otherwise, it’s an excellent movie for a first date. It’s also a great movie to see with a friend or even alone. Steve Carell fans won’t want to miss this one.

Plot 9.5/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry9.5/10
Acting 9.5/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing  8.5/10
Cinematography 7/10
Sound 7.5/10
Hook and Reel 9/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
86.5%

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