Crazy, Stupid, Love. [M]

It begins with a single sentence: “I want a divorce”. Cal Weaver thought his marriage was perfect; he had a beautiful wife, lovely children, and a fine house. But then his perfect world comes crashing down when his wife tells him that she has cheated on him and wants a divorce. Cal takes to moping in bars, until he is picked up by smooth and irresistible player, Jacob, who takes him under his wing and makes him over into a completely different person. But the one thing that cannot be made over is Cal’s heart, which seems to keep leading him right back to where he started. 

Another romantic comedy that proved that those who persevere are rewarded, Crazy, Stupid, Love. was a very touching and heart-warmingly funny little comedy that had me sighing, cringing, occasionally exclaiming in disgust, and laughing. It’s a really nice film that I think I could easily come back to. 

It begins with a single sentence: “I want a divorce”. Cal Weaver thought his marriage was perfect; he had a beautiful wife, lovely children, and a fine house. But then his perfect world comes crashing down when his wife reveals that she has cheated on him and wants a divorce. Cal takes to moping in bars, until he is picked up by smooth player, Jacob, who takes him under his wing and makes him over into a whole new man. But the one thing that cannot be made over is Cal’s heart, which seems to keep leading him right back to where he began. 

It has to be said that quite a few of these romantic comedies with loads of central characters are always trying to be original by interlinking the different love stories. Love Actually was the first film that accomplished this and remains, forever, the favourite. We then have He’s Just Not That Into You, which interlinked the stories in a different way that reflected the script, which I found very engaging. After that comes the runt of the litter, which was Valentine's Day, which really was just fluff stories that were haphazardly linked together five seconds before the credits rolled. I still loved it though. And now we have this film, which really only has two major romantic stories and one or two minor ones that all congregate and interlink in a very memorable punch-up three quarters of the way through. At last, a romantic comedy that interlinked its stories originally and cleverly. Loved it. 

I also loved the many layers that made up this movie. On the surface it’s a story of man rediscovering himself, but underneath there are very strong, bubbling sentiments and messages of hope, romantic rights, and even one or two hints of the somewhat charming misogynistic. 

The other factor that made this film so engaging was the strange combination of the cast. The line-up features memorable performances from Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Kevin Bacon, that’s a pretty quirky cast mixture right there if I might say so. Everyone gave great performances, though I have to say that those of Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton, and Jonah Bobo really took the cake. 

Filled with romance, awkwardness, cheesy pick-up lines, smooth plays, make-ups, break-ups, shake-ups, and a love-induced punch-up that rivals that of Colin Firth and Hugh Grant’s, Crazy, Stupid, Love. is a wonderful little romantic comedy that I’m sure will probably end up in the collection by tomorrow afternoon.