— Emily Howard contributed with this report
“Crazy, Stupid Love” is definitely something new in the world of rom-coms. Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa and starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid Love” goes beyond the clichés, (well almost), to present us with a new take on the over explored world of first love and romance.
The film centralises around the life of Cal Weaver, Steve Carrell, whose life is thrown upside down when his wife Emily, Julianne Moore, decides she wants a divorce. Suddenly he finds himself lost and alone in the daunting world of singletons and dating, with absolutely no clue – but it’s not long until under the guidance of womaniser Jacob Palmer when Cal’s midlife crisis turns into an opportunity for a whole new take on life.
But it’s not long before his old life catches up with him; from a swooning seventeen year old babysitter to his own love struck son, Cal soon learns that a new wardrobe and a lot of new women may not be the perfect end to his story.
“Crazy, Stupid Love” is a genuinely heartfelt, honest look at the difficulties of life and the power of first love through the eyes of character types rarely seen in this genre of film. It bravely chooses not to follow the usual formula for rom-com films and is full of twists and turns that’ll leave you guessing until the very end.
Despite this different take on the genre, you shouldn’t head to the cinema expecting to witness groundbreaking performances. The recognisable cast play recognisable characters that you can’t help but think you’ve seen them play somewhere before. But somehow it adds to the overall charm of the film.
In the end it is the presentation of the story that really makes this film stand out from the crowd. It delivers a touching new look at some of the sensitive issues of life and real, everyday romance. You can’t help but find yourself empathising with the characters because you feel you know them already.
“Crazy, Stupid Love” succeeds in really striking the right balance. Never too heavy, never too silly, never too soppy, instead it finds that ideal middle ground. It’ll make you smile, it’ll make you cringe, and it might even bring a tear or two to your eye.