Crazy, Stupid, Love

Crazy, Stupid, Love is one of the best written, wonderfully acted and finely directed comedic-dramas that I’ve seen in a long time. It flirts with the idea of being a romantic comedy, but the performances are so heartfelt that it grounds you in the pain of a marriage breaking up and the reality of unrequited love. The plot is as complex as Shakespeare's Midsummer’s Night Dream, where desire is quickly followed by misunderstanding, yet in this movie the only magic is Steve Carell.

Steve Carell is the hinge-pin of this film and I believe that this is one of his finest performances. As Cal, he is in such shock when his wife asks for a divorce that he’d rather throw himself out of a moving car than to sit there and hear about her infidelity. Cal and his wife Emily (Julianna Moore) met when they were fifteen years old and have been a couple ever since. Emily questions her life and wonders if she is having a mid-life crisis.

Emily has never been with anyone else until she slept with David Lindhagen from the office. David Linhagen, and you must say the name while gritting your teeth, is played by Kevin Bacon. He’s a nice, good looking accountant who is totally enamored of Emily and can’t wait to get to work each day to see her. He makes Emily feel young, attractive and alive after 25 years of marriage with kids. She has forgotten what that spark is like and never got the chance to be a single gal. Cal on the other hand has never strayed. He knew the moment that he saw Emily at age 15 that she was the only one. For 25 years, Cal has been living with his soul mate.

After having his heart ripped out, Cal finds himself in a bar with young vibrant professional people. The women are beautiful, single, but none of them are interested in hearing about Cal’s failing marriage. They are there to hook up, have some fun, and decompress after a hard day’s work. But Cal doesn’t get it. He babbles on, if only to himself. His wife got all the friends in the split, he just needs someone to talk to.

After several days of being pitiful, Cal is called over by one of the bar’s greatest pick-up artists, Jacob. “I’m going to give you back your manhood,” he says. And Ryan Gosling as Jacob can do it. He takes Cal under his wing, gives him a make-over and then strives to build up his confidence. Cal goes along because he doesn’t know what else to do. His world has been shattered and he just wants to move on with his life.

When Jacob thinks that Cal is ready he drops him in the lap of a sexy school teacher (Marisa Tomei) wanting to have fun. She responds to Cal’s fumbling honesty and the two of them have a wild night. Cal has never been casual about sex before, he’s been with the same girl since he was fifteen years old. But after a night of adult fun, a new creature is born and Cal becomes a ladies man. The master has a worthy pupil.

Like Love Actually, all the characters in this film are connected in some way so it is delightful to follow every twist and turn. The conclusion is strange, explosive and very satisfying. There is little to not like about this film. Every performance from Steve Carell to Julianne Moore to the children and even the babysitter is expertly played and emotionally moving. Ryan Gosling gives insight and depth to his role as the playboy, and Emma Stone is engaging as the girl who finally turns him down. Analeigh Tipton is refreshing as the babysitter with a crush, and Jonah Bobo is soulful as the middle-school boy who only wants to be taken seriously. Every player in this film is relatable even when some of the devices get over the top. We believe because our actors are grounded and we know how they really feel. Crazy, Stupid, Love is a wonderful, lovely, thoughtful film. I enjoyed the movie immensely and it made me laugh.

Rating: First Run Where love is followed by misunderstanding