Rating: PG-13
Starring:
Steve Carell as Cal Weaver
Ryan Gosling as Jacob
Julianne Moore as Emily
Emma Stone as Hannah
Analeigh Tipton as Jessica
Jonah Bobo as Robbie
Joey King as Molly
Marisa Tomei as Kate
Beth Littleford as Claire
John Carroll Lynch as Bernie
Kevin Bacon as David Lindhagen
Liza Lapira as Liz
Josh Groban as Richard
Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Special Features:
Includes Instant Streaming with UltraViolet Digital Copy
Steve and Ryan Walk Into a Bar
The Player Meets His Match
Deleted Scenes
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.40:1)
DTS-HD MA 5.1 Sound
French and Spanish Languages
French and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 118 Minutes
The Details:
The following is the official description of the film:
“Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling lead an all-star cast in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Fortysomething straight-laced Cal Weaver (Carell) is living the dreamgood job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart, Emily (Julianne Moore). So when Cal learns that his wife has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his perfect life quickly unravels. Cal, who hasn’t dated in decades, stands out as the epitome of un-smooth so handsome player Jacob Palmer (Gosling) takes him on as wingman and protégé, opening Cals eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style. Despite Cal’s makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that cant be made over is his heart, which seems to keep leading Cal back to where he began.”
“Crazy, Stupid, Love” is rated PG-13 for coarse humor, sexual content and language.
Mini-Review:
I had little interest in seeing “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” Though I liked the cast, the trailers made it look like another cheesy romantic comedy. But as I watched it, I found myself getting more and more pulled into the story and invested in the characters. The story explores several aspects of love and/or sex – the childhood crush, the teenage crush, the marriage on the rocks, the player, the one night stand, etc. It does this in a fun way that many people will identify with. Many viewers will also find at least one character they identify with. For me it was Steve Carell as Cal Weaver in the scenes where Jacob deconstructs him. From the clothes to the hair to the shoes, it was like he was picking me apart which, of course, had to make me laugh or cry.
The script creates several short stories within its overall story arc. You have Jacob teaching Cal how to improve his image, clothes, and self confidence. You have Cal and Emily coming to terms with their divorce. You have Hannah falling for Jacob and thus the former player completely rethinking his thoughts on love and marriage. Then you have the love triangle… or crush triangle… between the kid, the babysitter, and Cal Eventually all of these stories converge in a hilarious way that’s a fun payoff. The only down side is the final resolution which ends in a ‘crazy stupid’ speech which doesn’t fit the more clever writing in the rest of the film. They opted for a Hollywood ending that was a lot less satisfying. It wasn’t enough to ruin the entire movie, but it did knock my rating down a few points.
As I already mentioned, the cast is excellent. Steve Carell is pretty much the same character he is in every movie as Cal Weaver, but it works fine here. Ryan Gosling exudes charm as Jacob, yet he manages to do it without coming across as too slimy. Then you have Emma Stone as Hannah. She’s funny and charming as usual and it’s easy to see why she could throw Jacob off of his guard. Marisa Tomei also stands out as Kate, the woman who helps Cal get his groove back, but she returns several times more in the story with fun results. Julianne Moore has a tougher job winning the audience over as Emily since she initiates the divorce, but you still manage to root for her to get back together with Cal. Analeigh Tipton is noteworthy as Jessica, the babysitter with a crush. Also look for noteworthy minor roles by Kevin Bacon as David Lindhagen and Josh Groban (yes, the singer) as Richard.
If you’re looking for a light romantic comedy, “Crazy, Stupid, Love” if worth checking out. It’s funny, has some unexpected twists, and features a good ensemble cast.
The Blu-ray has a few standard features. You get a deleted scenes and a couple of featurettes showing Carrell and Gosling clowning around and Stone discussing the film. You also get an Ultraviolet Digital Copy of the movie. I have to say that I really, really don’t like these Ultraviolet copies. If you’re going to use an Apple device to watch the movie, it forces you to add the Flixster app, create an account, and then stream the movie rather than have a local copy. It’s really rather clumsy and it’s also inconvenient if you can’t stream the film but want to watch the movie. I have to say I think Ultraviolet’s days are numbered.
