Review of Like Crazy (2011) by Spangle — 22 Nov 2016

Like Crazy is a very difficult film for me to pin down in my mind. Entering the film, I had heard terrific things and it appears that I may be one of the few to enjoy director Drake Doremus' latest work, Equals. Thus, my hopes were quite high for Like Crazy, a film cited by many to be a good romantic film. Starring Felicity Jones as Anna and Anton Yelchin as Jacob, Like Crazy tells the story of two people who fall in love, but are separated after Anna overstays her visa and is banned from the United States. The film shows the ensuing turmoil the relationship is placed under as the duo struggle to come with their newly created long-distance relationship. Emotionally distant, awkwardly edited, yet greatly authentic and often quite romantic. Yet, it my struggles with the film may be traced back to misplaced expectations.

On the positive end of the spectrum, the relationship between Anna and Jacob is terrifically crafted. At first wholly romantic and filled with open adoration and infatuation, this quickly dies when Anna is sent back to Britain. The transformation from star crossed lovers to the equivalent of distant relatives is dramatic, heartbreaking, and terrifically well covered. Their personal anguish at the loss of their other half is well-defined, especially when Jacob is in a bar with another girl, Sam (Jennifer Lawrence). Though he feels a connection to Sam, a call from Anna brings him right back into the fold, as she explains that she cannot replace what she had with Jacob with any other guy. She has tried, but she has failed, and she wants him back full-time. A truly emotional scene, the moment highlights the terrific chemistry between Jones and Yelchin, while also underscoring their top-class performances. Though often exploring their relationship from an arms distance, Like Crazy is certainly blessed with great performances.

Additionally, in analyzing long-distance relationships, Like Crazy does a great job at showing the duo grow apart. At a certain point, it is clear through solemn resignation that they are no longer meant to be together, as they have spent far too much time apart for the chemistry to still remain as it once did. This realization, highlighted in the final moments in the shower, are somber, but subtly noted by the film itself. Through their long-distance relationship and flings with other people, they have grown into completely new people, unable to rekindle what once made them click so well together. By the end of the film, the chemistry between Jones and Yelchin is non-existent, highlighting the distance that now separates the couple.

Yet, the subtle nature of the film is also a curse. Though the second half benefits from it, the beginning suffers greatly. The beginning of the relationship - the most passionate portion - is completely non-climactic. It has no emotional impact, as Doremus speeds through it at the speed of light, never allowing the audience to feel the true impact of the character's love. As a result, by the end, their dissolution falls on deaf ears as the audience was never able to truly build up a great rapport with the couple by following the early stages of their relationship.

In conjunction with this, much of the film feels oddly edited. This ties in directly with the quick pace in regards to the relationship, as they both combine to leave the film feeling too emotionally distant. To a degree, the distance is acceptable and benefits the film, turning it into a smart, subtle, and somewhat unique romance. However, the quick pace, quick cuts, and incredibly short scenes leave each scene feeling as if it were building to something, only for it to then skip ahead to the next sequence. The film never truly let's the audience stay in the moment and really soak it in. Instead, it is too quick to pull away the camera and move along to its next moment. This could certainly be the fault of the writing, rather than the editing, as one could make the argument that it is simply underwritten, but for me, the writing never stuck out as the issue. Rather, the editing left the film feeling as though scenes merely smashed into one another, instead of flowing between one another. For me, it left the whole film feeling incredibly stunted and wholly unsatisfactory. It also had the impact of turning the film into merely a collection of scenes with only small threads to tie them together. With connecting moments, Like Crazy would feel less like a highlight reel and more akin to a romantic drama.

Like Crazy is a film where is it easy to see the appeal. Authentic, often stirring, and lovingly crafted, the film hits home for those who are or have experienced a long-distance relationship. Anna and Jacob's struggles are their own, as well as the manifestation of the distance in how the couple treat one another. Yet, the film is plagued by this very same distance, keeping the audience too far away and uninformed to truly feel the impact of the relationship.