Review of Larry Crowne (2011) by Roxanne R — 15 Dec 2011

It is shocking to see so many haters and bad reviews about this gem! Glad that I have a voice and can formulate my own opinion about a motion picture and I have seen plenty of them during my lifetime to provide an unbiased and fair review.

Larry Crowne is a diamond in the rough; its a very real story that can happen and has happened to many veterans and retired military personnel. One of the few instances when Hollywood is actually aware of what happens to middle class Americans and relays it to the silver screen very nicely.

Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) served 20 years in the US Navy as a culinary specialist. Once he retired, he lands a job at a retail store. Sadly for Larry, since he lacks a college degree, the store determines he does not have the potential for upward mobility and is terminated from his job due to cut-backs.

Faced with the prospect of unemployment, foreclosure and possible bankruptcy, Larry decides to enroll in a community college where he meets an instructor (Julia Roberts as Mercedes Tainot) who has lost her passion for teaching and is going through a rough patch in her marriage.

In college, Larry becomes friends with a younger crowd and both generations mutually benefit from each other. The simple guy who has every reason to think his life has stalled will come to learn an unexpected lesson: when you think everything worth having has passed you by, you just might discover your reason to live!! Written by Tom Hanks and Nia Vardalos and directed by Tom Hanks, this motion picture is a winner all the way, highly recommended and added to my private collection!