The idea of ‘growing up’ is a central theme in the film, so it makes sense that Steve Carell (who has played an over-grown man-child before in The 40-Year Old Virgin, and an emotionally-crippled, middle-aged man in Dan in Real Life) is the lead in what may be his most mature role to date. Thanks to the superb ensemble cast, though, he’s not asked to ‘drive’ the film so much as to simply steer it. His character may be the emotional heart of the story, but in many ways, Ryan Gosling’s womanizing cad, Jacob, may be the hero. Bottom line, this kid can act. He’s been nominated for the quirky, indie dramas Half-Nelson and Lars and the Real Girl, and probably should have been for the steamy Blue Valentine, but this film stretches him a little bit. He’s allowed to relax a bit, have some fun, and even crack a smile. Who knew that his comedic timing was so strong? His character, Jacob, takes Cal under his wing when he sees Cal struggling with his divorce in the bar while trolling for women. The resulting montage as Jacob attempts to remake Cal in his image is both hilarious and thoughtful and a real jumping off point for the story as a whole. Other strong notches in the cast include the always-dependable Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, who is quickly becoming one of my favourite young actresses (and not just because her flaming red hair makes her smoking hot), and former Academy Award winner, Marisa Tomei (who’s made something of a comeback of late as a second-banana in these films – it seems Hollywood is realizing she works best in small doses).
Also ‘growing up’ is the screenwriter himself, Dan Fogelman, whose best-known works to this point were animated features (including the original Cars, Bolt and last year’s Tangled). The writing is consistently strong throughout and the exchanges that the characters share are believable and funny without making you roll your eyes. There’s a scene halfway through the film where Cal stands outside, despondent, in a downpour and mutters half-heartedly, “Hmmph. Such a cliché.” Indeed, the Romantic Comedy has been around for a long time and its conventions are seemingly written in stone, yet this film manages to wisely tiptoe around them. The few instances where the film does give in, the characters themselves will take notice reminding us all with a nudge and a wink. The humour is smart and engaging without being crass (there’s one joke regarding teenage masturbation, but it’s handled in a cute and delicate manner) which makes it seem almost like a throwback in this, the age of the ‘gross-out’ comedy (that Carell himself helped start with The 40-Year Old Virgin some six years ago).
At its heart, the film is a simple, multi-generational love story, but unlike other films of its ilk (Playing By Heart, for instance, or even Love Actually – though the latter is still a very decent film), it doesn’t seem to suffer from having too many characters. The story weaves them in and out constantly and we never forget about anyone. Just when it seems like we’ve been spending too much time with Cal, we’ll cut to the sweet subplot with his smart-but-not-quite-too-smart-to-be-believable 13-year old son. Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (whose previous directing experience was the uneven 2009 Jim Carrey / Ewan McGregor vehicle, I Love You Phillip Morris) do a great job of deftly switching between the leads and keeping the story moving.
The end of the film isn’t perfect. Everything doesn’t magically return to its original state. This isn’t the Brady Bunch. These characters grow and change before our eyes, and as they grow up, they discover that love – like life – is awkward and messy and even painful at times, but it also can be beautiful. The same can be said of the film itself. Crazy, Stupid, Love is a romantic comedy for grown-ups. More than that, it’s a great film and one of the best films of the year so far.
Geek Score: 9 out of 10 bacon strips
What I’m Reading: Autumn: The City by David Moody
What I’m Playing: Infamous 2 for PS3
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