Crazy Stupid Love (2011)

Rating: 12A
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Screenplay: Dan Fogelman
Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama
Starring: Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone.

Despite the lame title, Crazy, Stupid, Love is not a typical romantic comedy. It is cheesy, un-cliched and nothing less than relatable as it unfolds the most typical of family struggles with quirks, surprises, hilarious dialogue from Dan Fogelman and fizzy performances from its leads.
Ficarra and Requa are minimalistic and clever, leaving dynamics ready to be explored by its quick-witted, sharp and honest cast ensemble. A trusty one at that, with the ever-comical Steve Carell who somehow always manages to have us in tears of laughter – and in this film, even some tears of awe when he delivers the heart-warming speech at his smart yet awkward teenage son’s (Jonah Bobo) mini-graduation. A speech, which you will see, manages to tie the whole family back together again.
Julianne Moore is brilliantly spicy as Emily, the wife/ex-wife of Carell’s middle-aged character, Cal. The movie jumps straight in at the deep end with an awkward public announcement in a restaurant, when Cal asks Emily what she would like to order from the menu and she loudly declares; “I want a divorce” and later admits she has slept with another man, “David Lindhagen” (Kevin Bacon).
Three seconds into the movie and you’re already rooting for dreary yet earnest Cal, who
heads off to a bar. Here, smooth-talking, swagger-oozing Ryan Gosling’s Jacob is like an angel sent from above, ready to slap Cal into the ladies-man he needs to be to get back at his bomb-dropping wife, striking up an odd yet genuine friendship.
Meanwhile, Jonah Bobo’s young Robbie perseveres with his infatuation on family friend and babysitter, Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), whilst she crushes on bore-turned-Casanova, Cal, and even goes to the extremes of sending inappropriate pictures to him. It’s awkward to see the innocently played Jessica strut around naked, pouting for the camera, yet the obstinate moment adds significance and grittiness to the film, if not gains a few laughs from the audience. The consequences of teenage love so well played by Tipton begs the question most adult viewers will be reluctant to utter; “We’ve all been there, right?” It’s all very stupid yet we find ourselves nodding and laughing bitterly at the screen.
The new Cal is strutting around in swanky suits, taking home every woman that will have him. A sexual encounter with a teacher soon backfires once he realises she is in fact, the teacher of his son. That’s a parents evening you are going to remember for all the wrong reasons. Moore is believable and endearing as she breaks down in tears – wondering what the rest of us had been thinking; “What went wrong?” Cal rethinks his womanising ways and contemplates his friendship with Jacob.
Jacob is a changed man too. He is in love for the first time in his life, unknowingly with Cal’s perky, oldest daughter, Hannah (Emma Stone). A barbeque that we’d been hoping would turn everything around soon turns sour at this revelation and we’re back to square one.
It is usually a cliché to see ups and downs in a rom-com, but this cast remind us that the reason these clichés stand is because they happen in our lives, every day. Affairs. Young love. Old love. Mid-life crises. One-night-stands. You name it, this movie has got it, and yet it still remains tasteful and witty despite its lengthy and jam-packed plot.
Full of wisdom, heart-felt moments and gasp-worthy exposures, it is not crazy or stupid to love this movie.