In Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love.

The Gist

At glance a typical rom-com, Crazy, Stupid, Love surprises and amazes with its subtle take on love and life; the used up "small-world" plot dangerously treads on predictable with a boring narration, but is nonetheless saved by a good script and good casting.

The Good

• good dialogue
• surprising casting

The Bad

• can be predictable
• lazy narration

Synopsis

Cal Weaver (Carrell) marries young with the girl of his dreams, Emily (Moore). Their comfortable marriage ends up in a divorce when he discovers that her wife is cheating on him with her co-worker, David Lindhagen (Bacon). Cal moves into his apartment and spends every night moping to random strangers in his local bar about how his wife cheated on him with David Lindhagen. Mean time, the resident womanizer of the bar Jacob (Gosling), whose advances has been recently rejected by Hannah (Stone) as she is seriously dating someone, took pity on Cal and groomed him to up his game and help him move on from the mess he is at. Hannah on the other hand just got the upset of her life when her boyfriend did not propose to her as she expects. What happens next is a series of coincidences and "small-world" events that surprises everyone in the end.

Slap Me

First off, let me just get this off my chest: I like the movie, I really do. But what's so blatantly bad about it was the way it unraveled itself. It was just done lazily. As if the director is uninterested with the story himself. Individually, Carell, Stone, Moore, Gosling, Tomei, etc., are all funny. But the editing and narration just didn't piece them altogether nicely. It was only until the end that it all got pieced well. It felt sloppily done and uncohesive, and you know what they say about cohesion, without it, it's like putting a horse in front of a carriage; it looks funny, but wouldn't go far. You know how some movies like, say, Iron Man where it goes Bam! Bam! and Bam! and poof, it's the end and you feel cheated because the way it was pieced together was so good you felt like you just sat 5 minutes and it's already the credits. Fast and gripping storytelling. This one ain't like that. It's the opposite. Dragging, actually. But with sparks of brilliance, and if only those were properly edited, remove the draggy parts that we've seen from other movies anyways, it would have been a nicer movie.

While the end is redeeming of the bad storytelling, the way the movie was told kind of agrees more with Stupid than Crazy.

Surprise Casting

The one who I will not call must pack their belongings and go. Remember that line? If not, then you will not know that the character of Jessica Riley, the Weavers' babysitter was played by Analeigh Tipton of America's Next Top Model Cycle 11. Amazing how she landed that role and really, she played her character well--how did she even look that young. Her turning from blond to brunette upset me, she looks so barbie doll-ish back in 2008, though it does make her look more mature. Along with Jonah Boba, who played Cal Weaver's son and who felt like the actual hero of the story, really, Analeigh was lauded as one of the faces to watch by movie critics.

Ryan Gosling who I last remember from The Notebook appeared as do-no-goodie, womanizing, gym-frequenting, alcohol-worshipping, rich dude which is a complete departure from that goodie image he played in the Notebook worked this one well, too. He sounded though he has a lisp, but it wasn't that distinct. It actually made him feel mafiaso and mature. Emma Stone has few dialogues but her role in the film was one that really surprised me. Should've figured out that red hair of hers actually has to do with it. She is "Easy A" funny as I remember, husky voice and all.

Lastly, at first, I couldn't quite figure out why Steve Carell felt unlikeable to me. Then this: he portrays a pathetic guy, typical Carell, only this time he does turn into awesome and uses the newfound awesomeness to screw around--something not one will empathize to and I didn'y and maybe that's why I didn't fully enjoy this movie. The hero is pathetic and turns into a bad guy in the end and hurts everyone he loves. Then again, that's typical Hollywood hero for you--hurts the people he loves and makes amends in the end, why do we make films about these people again? Is it to rationalize why we cheat? To redeem ourselves because we make wrongs? To show it's completely rational to be a jerk as long as you fix everything in the end?

Anyhoo, I'm getting sidetracked. I've told my gripes with the storytelling. That's my only real gripe. The way the hero is could've been excusable if the storytelling was good and not done lazily. The script is good, the actors did well, it's just really the way it was edited and narrated that hindered me from completely enjoying the movie.

Verdict: 3/5. Passed.