Review of Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) by Harry W — 15 Jun 2013

Crazy, Stupid, Love. was surprisingly entertaining, and it was mainly due to its cleverly comedic approach to love and Paul Thomas Anderson movie style where there is an ensemble cast with several interwoven plotlines.

It's a very cleverly written comedy with clever plotlines that mix together really well and take a look at love from various angles and various ages. It's hilarious and clever and sweet, and it really puts the theme of love into perspective in a way that's never boring and can appeal to viewers of various ages some it isn't burdened with soppy romance but rather great characters and hilarious dynamics.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. takes a look at several beliefs of love from characters in different settings and of different background, so it's never one sided. Because its true, love is passionate, insane, confusing, hurtful, stupid, empty, full and so many other things. Rarely is a film so deeply involved in love that it actually understands what it's dealing with, but Directors Glenn Ficarra be John Requa give the story and characters of Crazy, Stupid, Love just the treatment needed for the best possible effect.

Since the filmmakers have such a good premise set up, it's up to the actors to ensure it works, and not a single cast member lets up.

The story is lead by Steve Carell portraying a stoic male who has lost all his passion and regains it in a clever manner as the story goes on. Along the way are several hilarious dynamics fuelled by Steve Carell's character dedication which leads him as far as even throwing himself out of a moving car in a stoic fashion, leaving the audience laughing at the randomness of the joke. Steve Carell develops his character finely as the story goes on and he leaves no joke stale.

And in a comedic matching, Ryan Gosling makes a hilarious duo with Steve Carell, serving as the master of his generation in the art of sex, and he is seen learning the meaning of love as he teaches all he can to Steve Carell, and the two emotional plotlines he faces are benefitted from his charismatic performance and his handsome charm which defines him as the ideal physical male, and he develops into the ideal emotional one. The transition is well acted and entertaining, and Ryan Gosling is impossible to dislike because he takes the right approach to his character at every turn.

Julianne Moore proves successful in her performance as conflicted mother and wife who wants to move forward with her life and can't do it any better than to go straight to someone else to do it. The entire emotional perspective taken by her character is made abundantly clear and it proves perfectly effective. She was great in Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Analeigh Tipton made a breakthrough in Crazy, Stupid, Love. and transitioned from a model to an actress very finely because her looks were downplayed to make way for her acting skill, and it proved to be a good skill.

Jonah Bobo also makes a breakthrough in Crazy, Stupid, Love. since his portrayal of a love-obsessed juvenile is one that's rich with independence and confidence as an actor, and he manages to steal the screen at various moments with his surprisingly strong line delivery.

Emma Stone was also good since she added a certain sweetness to the story, and Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon were also good to have because they provided the perfect level of nostalgia to the film, and brought their own comedic positives to the film, especially Marisa Tomei who was hilarious.

So Crazy, Stupid, Love. was a great and clever romantic comedy which covered its occasional inconsistencies with a great cast and a clever script.