A Tasteful, Lovable Romcom

Rating: 9/10 (26 April 2020)

There are few romantic comedies released in the past twenty years that I would watch multiples times, but this is one.
It starts with a couple headed for divorce, but there is no bitterness or name calling. This is a good-natured film filled with likable characters trying to cope with the difference between love's dreams and love's disillusionments.
The cast is perfect for a comedy: Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei, Emma Stone, and Ryan Gosling, for starters. There is not a lot of mugging for the camera, like you might find in other comedies. And there is a marked absence of humor about bodily functions (which has brought many recent comedies down to the seventh grade level).
The film is punctuated by laughs, touching scenes, and even a few moments that elicit a pleasant mistiness. This can be credited to both the script and the actors. Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa deserve credit as well.
Carell plays the disappointed husband who is forced to re-examine his life after many years of marriage. Gosling is a ladies' man who exudes confidence and savoir faire. Stone plays a young woman whose future revolves around her predictable and bland fiancÃ©. In a smaller role, Tomei is a school teacher who frequents bars, desperate for any semblance of authenticity from the men she meets there.
I really enjoyed this film. And the final act feels like a traditional farce, complete with revelations and well-timed interactions.