another Ryan Gosling triumph although that's hardly a surprise

Rating: 8/10 (26 August 2012)

Aside from the superlative Mr Gosling (God Bless Canada - and here I'm referencing his nationality not a movie he made previously) which makes it a given, this movie is both great and good, and easily one of the best rom-coms I've seen in a very long time (Friends with Benefits the only other one recently). Described by a friend as a "modern day Parenthood," if you remember that ?80s Steve Martin masterpiece, it too is a look at an extended family/social circle and how it falls apart and comes together again. Carell plays it straight and leaves his silly characters behind (much better than Date Night) and this is the first thing I think I've seen him in that I really enjoyed. He was perfect as the hapless cuckold, opposite the under-utilised but memorable Julianne Moore. Gosling and Carell seemed to have good chemistry (as did Gosling and Stone but who can blame her opposite Hollywood's rightful goldenboy du jour), with Gosling being the comedy-timing genius of the piece, and he was perfect. Flawless. Marissa Tomei often over-acts and is a little too samey but here she pitched it just right, and showed her superior quality for such a small rather silly/crazy role, Kevin Bacon the same bringing quite a bit extra into his few appearances. The younger cast were surprisingly good and I'm sure we will be seeing a lot more of Bobo, who showed maturity and confident delivery in quite a complex child part. In short, all the cast were great - also mention the actress who played Stone's best friend; very funny.
Well scripted, acted and with a lot of heart as well as humour, CSL is up to date and relatable. A great family movie, or just for the eye candy that is Mr G it's worth a peek; if you can watch the Dirty Dancing scene without making an impromptu squeaking noise when he takes off his shirt - or react like Stone does - its time to call the paramedics - I'm just saying, as he is startlingly lovely. Overall its an interesting look at dating psychology, a rather cynical look at it actually, but also looks at true love and friendship too, and what matters in a relationship. Heart warming, and enjoyable, I prefer Parenthood although this one has Ryan Gosling (Parenthood has Keanu Reeves) so it's a close run thing. Loved the surprising garden scene - didn't see that coming, shock - was a little distracted.