Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)

Is there are reason that I love comedy-dramas so much? I don’t know. With The Help, About a Boy, Juno, Forrest Gump, and a billion others, I think that the comedy-drama genre is a goldmine. They make me laugh, they make me cry, I think it is my favorite genre. Either that or the hard science-fiction genre (like Moon or Minority Report), I’m not sure. But I do love this genre, and therefore, I do love this movie. It is definitely not a perfect film, and I think that there are much better films out there this year, technically, but on a personal standpoint, this film is great. I loved it very much. It is a great film. This is a great film, simple as that. It was funny, charming, well-shot, and has this sort of kinetic energy that plays out through the entire film, even during a dramatic scene. And so things play out like this-this movie classifies itself as a romantic comedy-drama, along the lines of the modern masterpiece (500) Days of Summer. But it is not. The movie is a comedy with small dramatic elements, and is completely hilarious all of the way through. It does right what The Dilemma did wrong, in that it is a movie that is serious, and deals with a serious issue, and is extremely funny. Now, I am going to talk about said serious issue in a second, but the movie kind of gets tangled with all of the characters and sub-plots (almost like an episode of a romantic comedy version of Lost. And all you Lost-onians can berate me about saying that, I only watched like three episodes), so this one is gonna be a breather. If you are reading this out loud, I suggest that you don’t. The movie begins with an average dinner with an extremely average couple, one that has slumped into monotony (almost like Steve Carell and Tina Fey in Date Night). These two are Cal and Emily Weaver (Steve Carell and Julianne Moore), a couple who have been together since high school. The two are just talking calmly, and as they are about to order, Emily drops the single biggest bombshell a marriage could have-“I want a divorce.” Cal then responds two minutes later by jumping out of a moving car. He moves out, and starts going to a bar every night, when he meets up with Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a ladies’ man at his finest hour. Think Joey from Friends if he didn’t have the awesome catchphrases and was successful every single night (although, if Gosling did say, “Hey, how you doin’?” to one of the girls, this would probably be the greatest movie ever. But anyway, this certain womanizer’s eye is caught by a girl named Hannah (Emma Stone), who has a special and unexpected attachment to the previously mentioned characters, who turns Jacob away, to his surprise. And as he teaches Cal how to pick up women, he begins to learn a few things about living life a little less carelessly while teaching Cal the exact opposite. And also, Cal’s son Robby is in love with his babysitter Jessica, who is in love with Cal…IT’S JUST REALLY COMPLICATED, OKAY? Think of it like this-Cal and Emily, Jacob and Hannah, Robby and Jessica and Cal. Got it? Probably not, but it’ll all make sense when you watch the movie. And watch it you should. There are a lot of very good things I have to say about this movie. For starters, the movie is extremely funny. There really are two types of comedy-dramas in film. 1) A dramatic film with comedy splashed into it to keep the tone light. These are the kind that win Oscars, and 2) A comedy film with dramatic elements playing a strong part. Crazy, Stupid, Love. is the second kind. I don’t think I have laughed harder in a movie this year (granted, the only two comedies that I think I would have laughed harder in are both rated R [Horrible Bosses and Bridesmaids]. I hate being 13). There is a scene near the end where I was laughing the entire time. There were jokes in here where I laughed out loud, and the entire theater looked at me like I was a crazy person. Maybe it’s just that this movie appeals to me. So if you’re me, this movie is for you. Or if you just want a good comedy or a romantic comedy that doesn’t follow a formula. If you wish there were more movies out there like (500) Days of Summer or Definitely, Maybe, then you need to check out Crazy, Stupid, Love.
9/10