Very entertaining ... eventually

Rating: Null/10 (8 August 2011)

This film is a little offbeat as comedies go. It starts on a somber tone and then tries to build something humorous as it meanders along. There are some places where the pace slows to a slow walk and it can almost lose it's interest for fans of the faster pace of a lot of modern film. But I found that I liked that quirkiness and it added some depth that may have otherwise been lacking in the typical comedy. However, I feel it may be too much of a pendulum for some as it swings from serious to comedic. I've noticed that a lot of time, people looking for a comedy can do without the seriousness. But given those mood swings, the directors do manage to make it a comedy, after all.
When it comes to comedy the cast here is very entertaining. The central characters are Steve Carell as Cal and Julianne Moore as his dissatisfied wife Emily. She announces that she wants a divorce after a tumble in bed with Kevin Bacon as her boss David. Bacon's character clearly has a solid thing for Moore's character and commences to pursue her, but this angle is just a diversion. The film makers missed chances for funny things that might have supplanted the more serious ones by neglecting to capitalize on this pairing more.
A good deal of the movie revolves around a friendship that builds between Carell's character and Ryan Gosling as the smarmy, girl-crazy Jacob. That term is often followed by the descriptor "hound". After meeting in a bar, Gosling takes on Carell to fashion him over into his own image. That's when the more fun aspects of the film start as we watch Carell try to crawl out of his shy, suburbanite shell to become more appealing to the opposite sex.
One encounter Carell makes is with the stunningly talented Marisa Tomei as Kate; a school teacher. When she's on screen she's a huge lot of fun to watch. I don't think I've ever seen her give as much as a mediocre performance and she won't disappoint here.
Another pairing that may surprise some people, but not me, are the encounters between Gosling's character and Emma Stone playing Hannah. Gosling has turned into one of moviedom's more superior actors; who can be expected to always deliver a stellar performance. But the real treat here is Stone. She has become a superb comedienne with a timing and delivery that is as close to perfect as you can get. In fact, Gosling is really playing a straight man here to Stone, ala Abbott and Costello; it's that good.
But the one who really illuminates the screen is Emma Stone. Each time I see Stone in a film she is better than the last time and she is nothing less than enchanting. She always comes across as smart and funny. I am especially drawn to the smartness. It is amazingly refreshing to see a female character who actually has brains, beauty and a lot of good old fashioned humor. It's not that "brainy" parts aren't written for other actresses; it's just that the others almost never quite pull it off (with a few notable exceptions such as Gwyneth Paltrow in Proof, but that was decidedly unfunny). Emma Stone is a real treat to watch and I find I can't take my eyes off of her every time that she's on screen. Her very large, luminous eyes run a thousand expressions a second over an even more expressive face, all of them unerringly faithful to the character while, at the same time, feeling very fresh and original. To top it off, she's a stunning beauty herself in that slightly unusual way that normally makes girls off of the street into supermodels. Stone and Gosling are so good, so entertaining, that I could effortlessly watch an entire film, perhaps several entire films, of just them bouncing one-liners and smoking sexuality off of each other. I found myself actually disappointed when the spotlight left them.
But the film doesn't end with just those fine actors, either. There are some surprising, disarming skirmishes between Jonah Bobo as Carell's thirteen-year-old son Robbie Weaver and Analeigh Tipton as his seventeen-year-old babysitter Jessica who, herself, has a thing for Carell. Young Bobo gives a surprisingly good performance as a love-and-thunder-struck young man struggling with some very real, grownup emotions. The height disparity between them made it more enjoyable as we watched and even rooted for Bobo to succeed. I also enjoyed Tipton (could lips be any more sensual), who's face I last saw as a model; but she's a model who can apparently act. She had a hard part to play, straddling a fine line between funny and what could have easily been seen as tragic or even perverse. I hope she feels good about the job she did here and I hope to see more of her in the future.
Finally, the very fine actor John Carroll Lynch as Tipton's father Bernie did a fine job with a small part and certainly injected comedy when he was given the chance.
The rest of the film was expertly staged and photographed so it's top quality there. I also enjoyed the musical score, skillfully blending old favorites into the story in a way more noticeable than usual.
All-in-all, Crazy, Stupid, Love teeters on the brink of sappiness without quite going too far that way and does a good job of appealing to the usual sentimental themes of love stories throughout the ages with some unexpected, modern twists. If you've ever been in love, see it. If you ever want to be in love, see it. Or, if you just like love stories, see it. It makes for a very good night at the movies. Thank you one and all.
By Bruce L. Jones http://webpages.charter.net/bruce.jones1/