Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Release Date:  29 September 2011
Rating: (M)
Runtime:  118 mins

There are several defining features that point clearly to Crazy, Stupid, Love being anything but stock-standard. Female we may be, but our loathing for traditional rom-coms runs deep.  First and foremost, the end product benefits immeasurably from its high concept beginnings and a tautly plotted, emotionally complex script from Dan Fogelman, who recently penned Tangled (2011). 

Gosling and Carell have a Godfather: Project Runway edition moment.

  
In what is undoubtedly his best role since Dan in Real Life, Steve Carell's 40-something Cal Weaver has lost his man-grapes: his kahunas, if you will. His wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), is in the grips of a mid-life crisis and and asks him for a divorce, after cheating on him with a work colleague. The friendship Cal forms with Jacob (Ryan Gosling) as he uncertainly claws his way into the dating world (after exiting it promptly at the age of 15) will make you cringe, laugh, and at times, tear up a little. Gosling plays it camp in showing Cal the ropes, but not to the point of disbelief. Steve Carell extends his repertoire, making Cal as accessible, warm, and real as he is lonely and a tad pathetic. 

Seriously though, what an absolute cracker of a year for Ryan Gosling; early reports on both Drive and The Ides of March are stellar, and his turn as Jacob, womaniser-with-a-heart-of-gold in Crazy, Stupid, Love has with certainty earned him that well-deserved hat trick. It's his Pretty Woman, if you will. His initial attraction to downright goofy (but obviously smokin') Hannah (Emma Stone) really burns up the screen: he can't quite believe it, but she's a set apart from any other girl. 

A walk in the moonlight with the Bacon is all anyone could ask for, right?

The high-calibre ensemble cast, including Kevin Bacon as Emily's maybe love interest, David Lindhagen; Marisa Tomei as primary-school teacher and seductress Kate (it's her high heel you see in the promo poster); Analeigh Tipton as the Weaver kids' babysitter Jess; and Jonah Bobo as Robbie Weaver, the strangest, sweetest 13-year-old boy to light up the silver screen this year. 

Jonah Bobo: off to meet E.T.

Audiences won't bawl like they might'a in Blue Valentine (2010)—another Gosling gem—but there's still enough of that genuine 'well fuck, I've really messed up' feeling to resonate clearly with audiences of all ages. Seeing Crazy, Stupid, Love on a big screen doesn't add all that much visually, but it definitely doesn't hurt seeing a 20-foot-tall version of Ryan Gosling's abs or Steve Carell windmilling.

****

And Cut!: Updates and such

So, we've been moving interstate and must apologise for the rather protracted hiatus. Things are, however, afoot.

First: we've joined The 500 Club - a most excellent film review blog run out of Brisbane (snickering is verboten!). They're really into their film (and TV over at The 400 Club) and we're so happy to have joined their ranks.We'll still be blogging here, but our contributions to The 500 Club will just mean more writing, more often. It's also nice to be part of a collective and share the writing experience. To take a phrase from the less-desirable Sheen, #winning.

Second: check out our aticle 'They Should Make a Movie of That!' in the September issue of FILMINK, the one with Hugh Jackman on the cover. We talk about Leanne Hall's wonderful YA novel This is Shyness and its filmic possiblities. In extremely exciting news, our second article in 'They Should Make a Movie of That!' is now out in the latest issue of FILMINK with Ryan Gosling on the cover. This month, we're talking about Patti Smith's beautifully written rock/poetry/art/life memoir, Just Kids. Our dearest hope is that the woman herself gets to read the article (it doesn't hurt to dream!), as she and playwright John Logan are currently in the process of writing the screenplay. 

Third: expect new reviews on And Cut! this week. We're previewing Project Nim, the new documentary from Man on Wire (2008) Director James Marsh, as well as the new romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, with an extremely likable star-studded cast in Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, and man-of-THE-moment, Ryan Gosling. At the very least, it promises not to be a movie containing traces of Katherine Heigl: a triumph for the ages, if you're into hyperbole.

And cut! 

Review: How I Ended This Summer

Photo from the Official Movie Website

Hola, comrades! Our review of Russian thriller How I Ended This Summer is now up at The Brag. Head on over and take a look.

DVD Review: Boy

Writer-Actor-Director Taika Waititi has a very good sense of humour, just one of his extremely admirable qualities . Really, naming one of the prominent supporting characters Chardonnay takes guts and a cheerful willingness to poke fun at yourself, as well as your country. If anyone half as talented makes a similarly-themed film about life on the Gold Coast, here's hoping they choose the name Mercedes.

Boy was a huge success in New Zealand last year, becoming the highest grossing New Zealand film of all time. The premiere of the film at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival gained the film the extra buzz it needed to make it outside the mother land: fitting, considering writer Taika Waititi gained momentum in his Boy process at Sundance in 2005 - picked to workshop his script and develop it further, this, as they say on reality TV, was the beginning of his journey. 

Boy (newcomer James Rolleston) is only 11 and he lives with his Nan (Mavis Paenga), younger brother Rocky (Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu) and his cousins in Waihau Bay, all left in the care of Nan.

Their father, Alamein (Taika Waititi) is a small time crook, wannabe gangster, and apparently attended the Ozzy Osbourne school of parenting. He returns, fresh out of prison with two members of the Crazy Horses gang (Chuppa and Juju - you've got to love those names) in a stolen, beat-up car . Boy asks if they'd like a cup of tea. They say sure. Cut to the next shot of the three Crazy Horses, still sitting in the car, slurping out of large cups of tea. Films need scenes like this one to set up the humour, to let the viewer know that although this is in part a serious film that makes a comment on society, it also knows how to have a blast.  

Boy looks at both the specifics and the broader themes of growing up and being a boy in New Zealand. At times, it seems like a harsh, bleak environment. Alamein is only around to dig up the neighbouring pasture for stolen money: metaphorically, he's out of there before he's even arrived. His half-arse attempts at getting to know his 11-year-old son and understand Rocky (the stranger, sweeter, and more artistic of the two boys) come off as trite and self-serving. He's a bad influence and the funny thing is that it's the kids, left alone for a week while Nan attends a funeral in a distant part of the country, who figure it out his game so quickly. 

Everything about this film makes sense, from the brilliant comedic writing, to the at times vibrant colour palette of the cinematography, to the interspersed Michael Jackson music videos in Boy's head, where his father is the star of all his boyhood adventure fantasies. Boy will make you laugh; in one particularly shocking moment, it will make you grip the edge of your seat. Furthermore, it will make you want to call every mildly annoying person an igg. We mean, egg. 

Boy is out on DVD Australia-wide now.