moviemarketingmadness.comThe romcom has morphed into a formulaic genre so rife with well-worn clichés that there’s often little room for creativity, honesty, or genuine laughs. Crazy Stupid Love isn’t an entirely new story, but its clever script and a believable cast set it apart from the pack.
Ryan Gosling plays Jacob, a dapper Casanova trying to help co-star Steve Carell’s hapless Cal through a physical and mental makeover in the hopes of rediscovering and renewing his manliness after Cal’s wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), cheats on him with a coworker (Kevin Bacon). It’s Jacob’s relationship with Cal that truly sets the tone for the movie as the two men strike up an unlikely friendship, each learning about himself from the other.
It should be noted that the supporting cast is as equally talented as the headliners. Emma Stone as a potential love interest for Gosling’s eternal bachelor and Cal’s young son Robbie (Jonah Bobo) as a hopeless romantic with a crush on his babysitter turn in impressive performances and both Robbie’s babysitter (Analeigh Tipton) and Cal’s first post-divorce fling, Kate (Marisa Tomei), are entertaining.
Beyond the talented cast, the film has a lot of laughs, a few surprising twists, and fully realized characters going through extremely relatable experiences. This film is one that’s actually worth the price of admission.
