A Healthy Addition to a Sappy Genre

Rating: 7/10 (1 August 2011)

I had three reasons for originally seeing Crazy, Stupid, Love this weekend. 1. I heard bad things about Cowboys and Aliens. 2. My girlfriend said so. 3. Emma Stone is gorgeous.
Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised with the end result. The scriptwriting was clever, witty, and never stiff, while the directing was top-notch. However, no matter how you play it, this is a character story.
Steve Carell plays Cal, a likable middle-aged man whose wife, Emily, (Julianne Moore) suddenly requests a divorce after 20+ years of marriage, along with an announcement that she has cheated on him. Heartbroken, Cal eventually turns to the rich womanizer Jacob (Ryan Gosling). His story of "re-discovering his manhood" (read: seducing women in a bar, including the wonderful Marisa Tomei) soon intersects with the story of the young, smart, and aspiring lawyer, Hannah (Emma Stone) as well as a deranged love triangle between Cal's middle schooled son, his babysitter, and Cal himself.
It was refreshing to see Mr. Carell play a not COMPLETELY incompetent character for a change, and he plays it well. Needless to say, all of the actors and actresses played their parts well, but surprisingly, I was most impressed by Ryan Gosling's performance, a man who I previously viewed as pure woman's eye-candy.
For the most part, the on screen relationships were honest and endearing, with the exception of the middle schooled infatuation with the babysitter (call me cynical). The "bedroom" scene with Hannah and Jacob is especially engaging (even though I usually hate montages). Steve's love for Emily never seemed silly, and the babysitter's crush was played out just long enough not to be tiresome.
I also liked the "twist" (are twists allowed in romantic comedies?), which I didn't guess earlier on. The laughs were also plentiful and hearty enough without being too lowbrow/slapstick.
However, I have yet to see a perfect romantic comedy, and Crazy, Stupid, Love has its share. For instance, Hannah and Jacob's relationship is squeezed in and never given time to develop. They are given one scene to fall into unconditional love for each other, and although the scene works great, the relationship feels distanced. Also, Emily's reason for divorcing Cal is never fully explained. Yes, she cheated, and he's apparently boring, but she seems to want Cal back from the moment she leaves him.
I won't harp on Cal's son's wince-inducing endeavors for his love, but lets just say some of it was over-the-top. And of course, no movie in this genre escapes clichés (note to screenwriters: climax scenes of public embarrassment/expression of love where the on screen audience has no relation are NOT funny. Please stop). Finally, the first half flowed much better than the second, and guys will feel conned by the necessary Hollywood ending.
All in all, I found myself laughing, smiling, and enjoying this flick much more than I thought, and that's what entertainment is all about. I recommend Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Oh yeah, and there's Kevin Bacon.