In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Friday 26 April 2013

CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE [2011]

Glenn Ficarra & John Requa (the writers behind Bad Santa) direct this surprisingly good romantic comedy-drama Crazy, Stupid, Love.
I was expecting cliche after cliche and a number of generic songs played over "dramatic" scenes, which it occasionally resorts to but it mostly focuses on developing the conflicts and faults of the ensemble cast of well-written characters. It's a wonderfully harmless character study balanced with the right amount of comedy, romance and drama to make it bearable, if you're prepared for the unlikely "happily ever after" ending.  

3½ "A"'s for assholes out of 5

4 comments:

Borderline said...

Being a fan of Steve Carell I was looking forward to this but was inevitably let down. Ryan Gosling's character was so overpoweringly repellant that I don't remember much about the story besides him. Carell was miscast imo. 2 out of 5.

cuckoo said...

I wasn't looking forward to this nor did I really have any intention to watch it.
It simply came on Movie Central at the right time so I watched it, only to find I really really enjoyed it, so I guess that might explain a bit of my enthusiasm.

I think some of Gosling's actions are hideous but he had reasons to act in such a manner. Lost, insecure, lonely, angry and a scared little boy. He eventually resolved those issues and proved himself worthy I think. He's only human.

Out of curiosity, who would you have cast in Carell's spot?

Borderline said...

I couldn't say. It's been months since I've seen the film. I just remember Carell feeling so out of place in his role.

cuckoo said...

Say "Abe Vigoda" and we'll call it a day.

...and possibly leave more cat droppings in Doc's sock & undies drawer.