Movie Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love

When is love not crazy and stupid? That is the question facing the characters in Crazy, Stupid, Love. I was given the opportunity to preview the movie early and found there was nothing stupid about it.

The movie follows Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) and his family as they struggle with that crazy, stupid thing called love. At the beginning of the film, Carell’s character learns that his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) has cheated on him with her co-worker David (Kevin Bacon). To make matters worse, she also tells him she wants a divorce.

A distraught Cal enters the single world unhappy and unprepared until a handsome, thirty-something named Jacob (played by hottie Ryan Gosling) takes him under his wing. Jacob sees an opportunity to mentor Cal and aims to teach him how to smooth-talk women. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast looks for love in all the wrong places as they consider babysitters and married men as possible sources of true love.

As the movie depicts three different generations struggling with love, a special mention has to be given to the youngest generation. Young actor Jonah Bobo plays Robbie, Cal’s son, and he stole my heart with his performance as a 13-year-old who believes with absolute conviction that he has already found his soulmate. Bobo is sensational, and the chemistry between him and “his dad” Steve Carell is so believable it adds a special touch to the movie.

Following the pre-screening, I was lucky enough to join a handful of other bloggers for a group interview with Steve Carell. He lived up to his funnyman reputation and continued to make me laugh as he responded to questions about the film. When asked what he enjoyed most about the movie he immediately replied: “Ryan Gossling’s abs” (and I have to agree that they did look absolutely perfect on the screen). Carell went on to say that he thinks his kids are funnier then him, but seeing as I was nearly crying with laughter from some of his scenes in the movie, I find that hard to believe.

With all the ingredients for an entertaining summer romantic comedy, Crazy, Stupid, Love features a couple of shocking plot twists that keep the audience on their toes.  The movie had me roaring with laughter, cringing with embarrassment, and kept me completely absorbed thanks to the realistic and relatable characters. With it’s genuine message and strong cast of characters, Crazy, Stupid, Love is a summer must-see in my book.

Rebecca Copeland is an intern at Mom Central and is going into her senior year at Suffolk University with a major in communications.

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