I'll make this short: Don't see this movie. Actually, I could be a little bit longer ... Don't see this movie unless you like seeing people have affairs and complain about life. I spent at least 75% of the movie SMH. Kate Hudson is a massive brat, Ginnifer Goodwin continues to be pathetic in every role ever (insecure much?) and I was truly rooting against everyone. Except Jim from the Office ... my wife says I remind her of him, so he must have been brilliant. :)
Grade: F!!!!!!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Movie Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love
It seems like movies about "complicated" relationships are either happy stories where everyone ends up with all the right people at the end and all problems are solved OR they're incredibly sad stories where people who seem like they should be together just keep missing each other and everyone ends up unhappy in the end. This movie is an almost perfect compromise of these two extremes.
Here's the plot: Steve Carell is an office drone and Julianne Moore is his bored wife. It's clear from the first scene that romance is not a priority for these two and Moore blurts out over dessert that she slept with a co-worker (Kevin Bacon - AWESOME) and wants a divorce. Carell's response fits his character - he rolls out of a moving car. This is part of what makes the movie work - the characters act like actual humans! (not that normal people jump out of moving cars, but I think we've all been in scenarios where that seems like the best option!) Anyway, Carell heads to the local nightclub where he meets Ryan Gosling and the male version of "She's All That" starts. Gosling teaches Carell how to dress, walk, talk, drink, meet women, etc. He usually leads by example, which means that he's a huge ladies man, UNTIL he has a girl turn down his offer of companionship (Emma Stone) ... and of course he can't get her out of his mind. The second half of the movie focuses on each character deciding what they really want and going after it. Will Carell fight for his wife? Will Gosling find Stone and sweep her off her feet? Will Julianne Moore take Carell back or add some Bacon to her life? Will Marisa Tomei be hilarious in a small role as a divorcee? (Spoiler alert - YES)
Like I mentioned above, this movie straddles the line between corny and hopeless, and it's carried by strong performances by Carell and Gosling. Carell's brilliance is his ability to make tragic scenes funny without losing the emotion. He's like a loveable Jim Carrey. And Gosling is in his element as a smarmy ladies man - it makes you wonder how much "acting" he was doing ... :) For her part, Stone is very charming in the role as Gosling's romantic ideal. And Julianne Moore is great at being conflicted, indecisive, and needy without being pathetic. Both Moore and Carell project real emotion toward each other and you believe in their marriage, even if it might not stand the test of time.
Here's the plot: Steve Carell is an office drone and Julianne Moore is his bored wife. It's clear from the first scene that romance is not a priority for these two and Moore blurts out over dessert that she slept with a co-worker (Kevin Bacon - AWESOME) and wants a divorce. Carell's response fits his character - he rolls out of a moving car. This is part of what makes the movie work - the characters act like actual humans! (not that normal people jump out of moving cars, but I think we've all been in scenarios where that seems like the best option!) Anyway, Carell heads to the local nightclub where he meets Ryan Gosling and the male version of "She's All That" starts. Gosling teaches Carell how to dress, walk, talk, drink, meet women, etc. He usually leads by example, which means that he's a huge ladies man, UNTIL he has a girl turn down his offer of companionship (Emma Stone) ... and of course he can't get her out of his mind. The second half of the movie focuses on each character deciding what they really want and going after it. Will Carell fight for his wife? Will Gosling find Stone and sweep her off her feet? Will Julianne Moore take Carell back or add some Bacon to her life? Will Marisa Tomei be hilarious in a small role as a divorcee? (Spoiler alert - YES)
Like I mentioned above, this movie straddles the line between corny and hopeless, and it's carried by strong performances by Carell and Gosling. Carell's brilliance is his ability to make tragic scenes funny without losing the emotion. He's like a loveable Jim Carrey. And Gosling is in his element as a smarmy ladies man - it makes you wonder how much "acting" he was doing ... :) For her part, Stone is very charming in the role as Gosling's romantic ideal. And Julianne Moore is great at being conflicted, indecisive, and needy without being pathetic. Both Moore and Carell project real emotion toward each other and you believe in their marriage, even if it might not stand the test of time.
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