User reviews

Crazy, Stupid, Love. is one of, if not the best, American romantic comedies of the past decade. This may come as a shock to some (as it surely took me aback) but there is no other way to describe it. Going into an advanced screening of the film earlier this week, I had my doubts that it would be anything outside of generic. But instead of tripe, I got one of the most unexpected surprises I have seen all year.

Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) have hit a rough patch in their long-time marriage, and Emily inadvertently announces to an entire restaurant that she wants a divorce. Down and depressed, Cal starts drinking away his sorrows at a local bar, attempting to make sense of his predicament with anyone who will listen. Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a professional bachelor, takes notice and makes it his personal mission to help Cal get over his wife, and become a new man in the process.

But this is just the main plot thread of the movie. It also follows Jacob's relationship with the absolutely stunning Hannah (Emma Stone), throws in a bit of curveball with Emily being romanced by David (Kevin Bacon), and even has a bit of a focus on Cal's son Robbie (Jonah Bobo) pining over his older babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton). It may sound a little packed with threads and too many characters, but Crazy, Stupid, Love. is able to navigate between each character and couple with ease. It reminded me a lot of Valentine's Day, and how its main goal was to depict how different love is for a sizable amount of couples and singletons. Except it failed miserably at it, and stood out more as an example of every rom-com stereotype you could imagine. Thankfully, Crazy, Stupid, Love. takes the higher road and breathes new life into a stale genre.

While the impeccable cast is more than enough reason why the film succeeds so well in being an atypical film in the genre, it is the crew behind-the-scenes that surprises even more. The film is written by Dan Fogelman, who is best known for a string of Disney films and the atrocious Fred Claus, and is directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who wrote and directed the sadly little seen I Love You Phillip Morris and wrote the now classic Bad Santa. These three would not be the first group on men I would turn to for a film like this, but their relative lack of expertise helps propel the film to the heights it reaches. It takes darkly hilarious turns in certain instances, plays other sequences totally unconventionally, play even more out with a foreboding sense of drama the trailer merely hints at, and trumps more than its share of genre stereotypes. Weaving between the plots lines, they make the film feel unique and different from others, all while giving it an aura of authenticity. While they stumble a bit in the final act with a series of sitcom-like shockers that border on ludicrous, they manage to pull off the rare feat of actually making the audience wonder if these characters will all end up together in the end, or if they will walk their separate ways; something that is truly uncommon for this genre.

Acting wise, the film delivers in spades. Carell gives one of his best performances to date as Cal, moving as swiftly as the script requires between depression and humiliation, and touching and hilarious. The film stretches his dramatic muscle more than most, and allows him to give a performance that does not rely on laughs. The expressions on his face are just devastating in some sequences, and the wonder in other scenes is ridiculously hilarious. It is a performance I hope to see him come back to again, and make even better. Gosling plays against type, and gives an absolutely hysterical performance. He shines brightly in every scene, nailing every line and mannerism, while making this scumbag of a lothario become someone to really care about. He exudes chemistry and helps make everyone else's performance better. Moore and Stone also give great performances, easily balancing the humour with the drama. They are not given nearly as much to do as the guys, but hold their own on- screen.

The supporting cast does even better. Bobo is phenomenal in his role, conveying an innocence and naivety that is more mature than I thought possible. He acts like more of an adult than some of the older cast does in many instances, and gives the performance a well-rounded other young actors would be incapable of. Tipton is not nearly as good, but plays the role of a confused teenager a little better than you would imagine. Bacon does great in a small turn as does Liza Lapira as Hannah's best friend. But it is Marisa Tomei who steals the show from everyone, playing one of Cal's conquests. She is dementedly unhinged and ridiculously over-the-top, but never falters. Her performance may be one-note, but it is easily the most memorable thing about the film.

If I hold anything against the film (other than the final act stumble and the oh-so convenient way one particular scene comes together), it is that it ended. I know I have harped on how unlike other typical romantic comedies Crazy, Stupid, Love. is, but there is really no other way I can rave about it. I easily could have spent more time with these characters, and pined to find out what happened to each of them after the final fade out. The incredibly unlikely pair of Ficarra and Requa has crafted a truly wonderful and hilarious film that is nothing like what you could have expected watching the trailer. It is bittersweet, and easily one of my favourite movies of the summer. And this is coming from someone who loathes almost every single romantic comedy ever conceived.

8.5/10.

Greetings again from the darkness. From the opening scene it is clear we aren't in for a typically lame rom-com with caricatures instead of characters and punchlines instead of feelings. Instead, this one is all about the characters and their feelings ... realistic feelings of pain, anger, hope and frustration. Now don't misunderstand. It doesn't go too deep and there is still plenty of humor in the moments.

Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) are sharing one of their many restaurant moments over the course of their long, steady marriage. Only this time, something spoils the comfort zone. Emily says she wants a divorce and later tells Cal that she had an affair with a co-worker (Kevin Bacon). What follows is as close to real life reactions as we could ever hope for in a rom-com. Cal is hurt. The kids are angry. Emily is confused. Their friends take sides.

The intertwining story lines and characters are both sad and funny. We see how people react when they are attracted to others ... or not. We see how people react when they wonder if their decision was rash. We see how basically nice people try to do the right thing for themselves and others, but still mess it up sometimes.

After moving out, Cal heads to a local upscale lounge that seems to be stocked with gorgeous women and only a handful of men ... every night. In real life, the line of men waiting to enter would be wrapped around the block. Still, one of the regulars is Jacob, played by Ryan Gosling. He is a thing of beauty to look at it and always quick with just the right line. His science is making women believe he cares about nothing but them. Cal is discouraged by Jacob's incredible success rate. Jacob notices Cal's negative vibe and agrees to train him. But first, the makeover ... wardrobe, haircut and conversation skills.

The polar opposite effect of what you might expect from Hollywood - these nice people begin to question their direction. Cal longs for Emily. Emily still thinks about Cal, but dates her co-worker. The son (Jonah Bobo) has a crush on the older baby-sitter, who has a crush of her own. Even Jacob falls hard for new attorney Hannah (Emma Stone) who has just walked out on her wet rag boyfriend (Josh Groban) who offered her a job, rather than a ring. Oh what a tangled web we weave. And that's just the stuff I can tell you! Cal's first conquest utilizing his newly learned skills is a teacher played with full energy by the terrific Marisa Tomei. She only has a couple of scenes, but as usual, Ms. Tomei makes the most of her screen time. The baby sitter is played well by Analeigh Tipton, but it's interesting to note (in real life) she is 3 days younger than law school grad Hannah (Stone).

All of the actors are top notch here. Steve Carell continues to get better ... this is a superior movie to Date Night (with Tina Fey). Julianne Moore is solid, though her character is mostly mopey. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are both outstanding. Gosling is none for mostly offbeat, dark independent films but shows again how easily he slides back into sex symbol. Ms. Stone is headed for super-stardom. She was really good in Easy A and has a star-making turn in the upcoming film The Help. After that, it's on to the new Spider-Man for her.

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are the co-directors and were responsible for the much less mainstream I Love You Phillip Morris, with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. Surprisingly the film was written by Dan Fogelman, who is known for his script writing on the animated Cars movies.

No question women will enjoy the film, but the surprise is, many men will relate to what's going on with the Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling characters. There is enough humor to keep everyone happy and enough strong writing to say this is a very good movie.

The ironic and embarrassing thing is, the person I was watching this with knows how relatable the theme of "finding your one true soul mate" is currently. This will be difficult to review without affecting me personally, but when a film does that to you it just goes to show how powerful the art can be. We follow a variety of characters as they explore the emotion of love. A middle aged couple going through a divorce, a babysitter who has fallen for her employee, a young boy who's in love with the babysitter, a promiscuous dating expert who eventually finds "the one" and a young woman hoping for a proposal. Eventually, we find that these characters interlink in a sprawling narrative detailing the joys and sorrows of love. Despite all that, the biggest element that resonated with me the most was to never give up fighting for the one you love. And I know the person this refers to in my life will read this review, and I know they will do everything in their power to not acknowledge my true feelings...but it's worth fighting for right? Absolutely, and the film conveys that message eloquently, particularly in the third act which I did not see coming at all. I literally shouted "no...nooo...NOOO!" as one character attempts to regain a form of relationship, albeit goes terribly wrong. The narrative consistently switches between characters, reminiscent of the classic rom com 'Love Actually', which keeps the pacing interesting. Acting was emotionally investing from everyone. Ryan Gosling shows us that his comedic timing is excellent, Steve Carell is able to perform some dramatic scenes and Julianne Moore is always dependable. Emma Stone's character needed a larger amount of screen time, I felt her character was unevenly balanced. We see practically nothing of her in the first two acts and then she becomes the main attraction in the third. It just meant I hadn't warmed to her like I did with the other characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this though, I laughed, teared up and smiled. Love hurts dammit!

When it all comes together in an ensemble romantic comedy, it takes a great script, spot-on casting, inspired acting, timing, synergy, and brilliant direction. Crazy, Stupid Love has it all. Arguably, the best romantic-comedy of the new millennium era, CSL synchronized two directors and a screenwriter who had all previously been noted for their top success in animation films and television including the 'Cars' franchise, 'Tangled' and 'Angry Beavers' (in addition to non-animation film), along with the brilliant Casting Director Icon Cindy Marin who had casted 'Juno' a few years earlier.

The casting could not have been better, and with the inclusion of Kevin Bacon, connects the film (within 7-degrees of Bacon) to generations of great romantic comedies.

I can count on one hand the number of great romantic comedies in film since 2000 - they are rare, hard to pull off, and this is one of the very best. TV Series are a much better platform for comedy, as the comic moments can be spliced together without having the wrap a complete linear story around it in just two hours - TV is 30 minutes of gags; next episode.

Pulling-off a quality 2-hour story like this one, within the comedy genre (that is both sexy-sweet and funny at the same time;) requires effectively synchronizing a lot of moving parts.

Everyone involved in the production of CSL brought their A-Game, and it shows.

The key tandem in the film's success is Steve Carrell/Ryan Gosling - Without those two delivering the goods, the film would have failed.

They deliver big-time, making this Buddy-Film disguised as a Romantic-Comedy an all-time film arts success.

The Carrell/Gosling best-buddy relationship centers around a man in his 40's (Carrell) in the process of being separated from his middle-school sweetheart and first-and-only-love wife (Julianne Moore), reluctantly entering the modern singles dating world for the first time in his life.

He is completely unprepared and out of step with the times and the game, but runs into the Yoda or "Miyagi" master of ladies-men (Gosling) at a popular local singles bar, who decides to take him under his wing and mentor him in the ways of successfully meeting younger women after observing his wallowing in breakup pain and ineptitude in the singles game. The Pygmalion-like tutoring and transformation is truly brilliant fun to watch.

A complex intertwining connection of the entire cast starts to reveal itself piece by piece, and the hilarious apex of the film is one of the most memorable pay-off moments in comedy-film history.

The supporting cast orbits around the two new-best-friend buddies, and their acting excellence results in CSL rating as one of the all-time great ensemble comedies.

This was the first of three (as of 2021) successful movie pairings of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, each subsequent project propelling both into higher orbits of superstardom - the third pairing 'La La Land' resulted in multiple award nominations, including an Oscar win for Stone, and with Hollywoods penchant for staying with winning formulas, it is likely we shall see more of these two together in film.

CSL fits the new millennial era culture well, and perhaps years from now will seem dated to this period (filmed right before the dating App explosion that occurred from 2012-2015 that replaced and swiped-away bar meetups, it is already aging in that regard). This just means everyone "got it" during its production, and certainly transferred that "get" to the screen with notable comic skill.

On my IMDb list of Top 25 Best Comedy Buddy Films.

Needless to say, I "highly recommended" 'Crazy, Stupid Love', and give it the proverbial two thumbs up! 👍👍

Such a wonderful rom-com with great writing! Ryan Gosling is superb as the ladies man and I love how Steve Carell is great in the drama aspect. Crazy, Stupid, Love is so enjoyable throughout with amazing charm and soundtrack! Not like most divorce films which is a pleasant surprise; every scene has feel-good entertainment embed in it perfectly.

My initial reaction is that this film is the best romantic comedy that I've seen in years. The genre has been pretty devoid of quality lately. So, I don't know if that plays a part or not and I really don't care at this point. I enjoyed everything about this movie. It has tremendous heart and charisma and it's so very easy to get caught up in to the lives of these characters. A certain degree of patience is required while viewing because some secondary characters that feel unnecessary to the story are worth getting to know. Steve Carell's character is the one everyone empathizes with and when the movie shifts away from the "A" story you wonder why and start to think that the "B" story is going to be muddled or cliché or one to endure. Well, they're not and everything comes together in a wonderful fashion. The entire cast here is perfection. The overall message may be one to debate but it doesn't matter because the ride and this film are just so smart and so well done.

You know usually I'm not into romantic comedies, as I find that most of them fall short & are extremely cheesy. I really liked this movie though. One of the great things about it, is the acting is great. Everyone plays their part perfectly and you actually kind of feel for them in their individual situations. Usually when I think of Steve Carell, I think of a jokester. He was great in his serious scenes though, very believable. And Ryan Gosling, Oh my goodness, Ryan Gosling. He has always been one of my favorite actors. He plays a ladies man in this movie, trying to get Carell back on his feet after splitting with his wife. The two of them have great chemistry together and provide plenty of laughs, along with touching moments. I just saw this movie yesterday and I already want to see it again. That almost never happens that I want to see a movie again right away. Very cute. This movie has a little bit of everything and I think that most people would enjoy it. 9/10!

It was roughly two-thirds of the way into Crazy, Stupid, Love when I realized how invested the audience in my theater had become. The key scene involved a mom cleaning her daughter's room, a seemingly mundane moment that produced gasps and cries of "Oh no!" even before the character makes a very revealing discovery. It's a scene that, much like the rest of Crazy, Stupid, Love, a heartwarming and, at times, painfully honest depiction of three couples at various stages in each of their relationships, unfolds not with predictability so much as inevitability. Unlike your average, generic romantic-comedy, this movie focuses less on the end, on who will end up with whom, than on the special and often surprising connections that are made along the way. What's more, it achieves the remarkable and all-too-rare feat of actually moving the audience to care about the central characters, to cheer when they come out on top and sympathize when they don't.

Using a witty, compassionate and ever-so-slightly subversive script from Dan Fogelman, directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who are best known for writing the pitch-black comedy/satire Bad Santa and only have one other directorial effort under their belts (last year's I Love You, Philip Morris), guide the production along with subtle ease. They strike an ideal balance between humor and drama, allowing the overall tone to develop organically. Laughs come mostly in chuckles at the cleverness of a line or its delivery and are never awkwardly forced in to lighten up a scene, while the emotions feel genuine without becoming manipulative. Most of all, their restrained approach allows the actors to breathe and to fully embody the characters they've been given.

Speaking of which, has there ever been a more likable group of people assembled for a film, much less a romantic comedy? The cast gels remarkably well, and at no point is anyone singled out as a villain; even when a character threatens to become unlikable, the actor portrays him or her with such keen understanding that it ultimately becomes hard, if not impossible, to not root for each and every one of them. Whenever the film tiptoes the line toward schmaltzy, they pull it back, making every line and emotion feel utterly real. As the unquestionable lead of the film, Steve Carell displays a tenderness and dramatic depth he'd only hinted at in previous works like the unexpectedly moving The 40-Year-Old Virgin and occasional episodes of The Office, while Ryan Gosling, all immaculate grooming, sly grins and twinkling eyes, is perfectly cast as his foil, Jacob, a suave ladies' man who's really using all that money and swagger to disguise the emptiness he feels inside. Julianne Moore and Emma Stone are both lovely as Emily and Hannah, respectively, radiating a down-to-earth presence and relatability that many other Hollywood actresses seem to lack. Also worth noting are Analeigh Tipton and Jonah Bobo, who form Crazy, Stupid, Love's youngest romantic pairing and have been all but ignored by the movie's publicity campaigns despite their obvious talents.

What truly sets Crazy, Stupid, Love apart from other modern-day romantic comedies, aside from the perceptive writing and direction and a dream cast, is that it strives to be meaningful, rather than just mindless, predictable fluff. Though the movie employs its share of clichés (precocious kid, guy falls for the one girl who initially rejected his advances, etc.) , it's often done with a knowing wink, most obviously when, after an altercation with Emily, his ex, and rain begins to pour down on him, Carell's despondent Cal mutters, "What a cliché." It shows that love is messy, irrational, sweet and universal, filled with regrets and tears as well as hope and joy. It celebrates movies like Say Anything… or Jerry Maguire where sentimental wasn't a bad word and love meant more than sex, diamond earrings and expensive, candlelit dinners, where those small, precious moments of quiet intimacy – a shared look, a simple but honest conversation, a laugh, a smile, buying a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone, a spontaneous phone call – speak as loudly as the grandest, most dramatic, craziest gestures.

In short, Crazy, Stupid, Love does what the best romantic comedies do: it gives us a glimpse into the raw, human moments that collectively build to bring two people together – or, at times, tear them apart; we fall in love with them just as they fall in – or, out of – love with each other. It's the perfect date movie, and so much more. To all the other ones, the mediocre, cornball, lazy, offensive rom-coms and chick-flicks out there, Ryan Gosling has a message for you: be better than The Gap. Be better than The Gap.

I first saw this a decade ago on a dvd which I own.

Revisited it recently with my family aft seeing the trailer of Licorice Pizza.

The similarities in both movies are noteworthy n one can easily make out that Licorice Pizza is copied from this movie.

Inspite of not being a fan of romatic comedy movies, I enjoyed this movie then n now too.

It is hilarious n the acting is top notch.

The movie is about a man who seeks to rediscover his manhood and is taught how to pick up women at bars.

The star cast is top notch n the film moves at a decent pace.

The babysitter is played by Lio Tipton who was 23 during this movie but she succeeded in portraying a teenager's role.

Her nudity n sex scenes in the movie Compulsion was kinda shocking for me.

I have mixed emotions about Crazy, Stupid, Love. I think there are some charming moments in this movie, but a lot of it didn't work for me. It's a little too long and it took a while for me to warm to it. Plus, there are a couple creepy plot points that the film tries to pass off as cute. Even though I enjoyed the performances of Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and Emma Stone, I don't think this is a romantic comedy I could recommend to others.

This was my first time watching this movie. I can appreciate Cal and Emily's story, cringey tho it may have been a few times. I can appreciate Hannah and Jacob's story... although more time should have been spent on them IMO. I can sympathize with Jessica's inappropriate crush, and with Robbie's similarly inappropriate fantasies. The thing that made me gag... was the closure between Jessica and Robbie. If their genders were reversed we would immediately see it for what it is; gross and creepy. It surprises me that this movie was made in 2011. I thought those years were better than that. This movie is riddled with problematic missteps; while championing noble values at the end, it enjoys dragging us through a lot of mud and muck to get there. It's a sweet movie, but it left a decidedly sour taste in my mouth as well.

Romantic comedies aren't usually my kind of thing but I thought this film was great. The cast is strong (Gosling, Stone, Carell) which is the main reason I chose to watch this film. It is quite a long film but the plot is really clever. There is plenty of different things going on in the film and the way it all gets linked together is brilliant and certainly something I did't see coming.

There are some genuine laugh out loud moments and the film is straight to the point. The cast is great and all work together well, the plot is fresh and clever and it really was one of the best romantic comedies I have seen (haven't seen many but still) - Would recommend this film to anyone.

8/10

I saw this expecting an amusing, albeit predictable, movie. Boy was I pleasantly surprised!

Steve Carell plays a man, Cal, blindsided by his wife's sudden request for a divorce. While wallowing in self pity at the local bar, Jacob (Ryan Gossling) decides to turn him into a project, and introduce him to the wonderful world of womanizing.....But you've seen that from the previews right? What comes next is a great look at love, from first crushes to long term marriage.

This movie is the perfect blend of funny and sweet (the entire theatre was laughing throughout). Great performances from the whole cast, including a surprisingly refreshing change for Steve Carell. The writing was perfect, the pacing was great.... A perfect date movie! Not overly sappy and not typical "chick flick" drivel.

I have nothing personal against Rom-coms, it's just that sometimes a film really surprises you in a good way or it falls flat on its face. Crazy, Stupid, Love fortunately belongs in the former category. If there was anything that lets Crazy, Stupid, Love down, it was that the film stumbles a little in the final act.

Everything else however works, and the result is a surprising and hugely enjoyable Rom-com. The filming is never cheap and often stylish and pretty and the scenery is very striking. The soundtrack also compliments the film very well, as does the direction. The story is very clever too with seldom a dull part, only the final act has signs of inconsistency.

For me, what lifts a Rom-com especially is the cast, the chemistry and the quality of the script. Luckily, Crazy, Stupid, Love succeeds in all three of those areas. The script is funny in a witty, droll and infectious sense, with plenty of moments to warm your heart and touch you too. The chemistry of the actors is also there and very believably done.

Steve Carrell is brilliant here, while I do consider him talented with good material, I don't think he has been this good in a while. Ryan Gosling exudes charisma in his role, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone are very charming and Marisa Tomei while perhaps over-the-top is memorable.

In conclusion, very surprising and really well done. 9/10 Bethany Cox

After seeing the trailer a million times at theaters I was looking forward to seeing Crazy Stupid Love as it has one of my favorite actors in it, Julianne Moore. It looked to me like a smart romantic comedy for adults with a bit of an edge, which is exactly what it is, the story is fresh and appeals to a broad age range, the Steve Carrell/Julianne Moore storyline appeals to the older married demographic and the Ryan Gosling/ Emma Stone storyline appeals to the younger hipper generation.

Steve Carrell gives a terrific performance as the poor guy whose life just seems to go from bad to worse, I think he will be nominated for a golden globe or something like that, he is a very funny guy to watch no matter what role he is in, the rest of the cast is fine also, Miss Moore once again proves she us an actress with a spectacular, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have excellent chemistry together which makes them entirely believable as lovers, however one person steals the show and that is Marisa Tomei in all her nutty glory, her scenes are exceptionally funny but they are too few and far between.

This movie does have it's flaws, the end twist is too far fetched and unbelievable, I think it would have been better if they gave you some clues as to how the story all comes together in the end, the Gosling/Stone relationship isn't given enough time to make you really care, and also it's a tad too long. But other than that this is a nice, funny and overall enjoyable film to watch.

Let me start off my review of this film by saying that I hate Steve Carrell. Watching him on "The Office" for all those years was painful, because his character, and it seemed his acting style was unbelievably stupid and bland. While he has occasionally been a decent funnyman, I hadn't seen him in a role where he was remotely interesting and believable.

Yesterday, I was at the movies, pretty much the whole day, and decided to check out "Crazy Stupid Love", because it had decent critical and audience reactions, better than I expected for a romantic comedy, and it had some of my favorite people in it, including Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. And, to say the least, I was caught by surprise.

One of the reasons for this, is because "Crazy Stupid Love" works as a romantic comedy and a drama. Most romantic comedies, I find, are predictable, stale, and essentially one carbon copy after another, of the same exact story, played out in a slightly altered way. You probably won't guess where "Crazy Stupid Love" is going. While the ending itself is a lot like I predicted it, there's a big plot twist that presents itself in the climax that I really didn't see coming. And that's reason enough to see this movie.

However, there are many (better) reasons. One of the big reasons is that it avoids making any of its characters caricatures. Each character is real, and flawed, screwed up and deals with his or her problems in a very grounded and grown-up way.

It revolves around Cal (Carell), a man who has been married to Emily (Moore) for 25 years, and is rocked by the revelation that she wants a divorce, after sleeping with a co-worker (Kevin Bacon). Cal begins hanging out at a chic pickup bar, where he meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a lothario who takes a different woman home every night. He picks up on Cal's depression, and helps him turn into something of a womanizer. Meanwhile, Cal's floppy-haired thirteen-year-old son Robbie has a crush on his older babysitter, who has a little crush of her own. Also, Jacob meets Hannah (Emma Stone), a young lawyer who has heard every pickup line, and therefore, has a quite jaded outlook on love.

And it is the first film or TV show to portray Steve Carrell as a human being. He can act! Who knew? I actually liked him in this role, because I felt that he wasn't Michael Scott, or that guy from "Get Smart", or "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", but an average guy whose life didn't turn out as he had hoped. I bought him in this role. He more than keeps up with the rest of the film's stellar cast.

Another revelation here is Ryan Gosling. I've mostly seen him in depressing dramatic roles ("Blue Valentine", "The Notebook"), while here, he proves himself to be a cunning comedian. He has spectacular comedic timing, and clearly has a lot of fun here with the other actors. He seems to be the superficial funnyman at first, and, like the rest of the cast in this terrific film, opens up, and surprises the audience.

While Julianne Moore is always great, her character and Carrell's character mesh in a way that makes you believe that their marriage lasted 20+ years. Emma Stone is on fire right now, doing a great role in "The Help", she shines just as much here, if not more. Her character is instantly lovable, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

This film also features Marisa Tomei, who gives a fierce, and very funny performance as a recovering alcoholic schoolteacher who dates Cal for awhile after his divorce. Kevin Bacon also made me laugh, as Emily's co- worker, who was her post-divorce rebound. While these two have brief roles, they are very funny and make the most of what they are given.

What makes this film memorable for me, is that it is realistic. It doesn't paint love out to be this magical thing that will automatically make anyone happy. It knows that love doesn't always work out, and occasionally ends in heartbreak and/or violence. And while it's somewhat a cautionary tale, it ends hopefully and overall, kind of happily. It made me cry a little, and it made me laugh a lot. And while it could have been a bit longer, and given its characters some more room to grow, it was a satisfying overall package that I would recommend to someone who's trying to escape the summer of superhero flicks and sequels.

I feel compelled to write as I can't believe the rating this movie has. We've seen it all before many times and this movie brings nothing new. OK let me begin, the first 40 minutes are funny, if it ended there it would be 10, Carrell & Gosling give good performances and really gel as a duo but like so many comedies it loses it's way and the mid section drags only to find that the finale is a big sentimental schmaltz that really shouldn't be present in a comedy. Why do American comedies always do this (Sandler, Carrey)? It's better than Just go with it, it couldn't be any worse!, and the performances are all first rate, it's just a pity the project is wanting.

I will admit from opening bell, that I do enjoy sappy love movies. It was a movie that made you laugh,cry,wonder and cover your eyes. Steve keeps true to his on screen character and his own real life strength but never forgetting to mumble some sort of funny line even in his most "sappy-est" of moments. I give this movie two thumbs up for its twist at the end and keeping it out of viewers sights so well! I do however wish that they would have developed a little more back story with Ryan's character but still, a movie to be enjoyed by all. Emma delivers some nice side humor along with her friend in the movie as well! I believe Steve may have surpassed expectations of his ability to play that main love role and still maintain his "funny guy" image.

Like so many other movies I have seen, it started out great but ended weak. Gosling was perfect in his role and Carell was hilarious as always. Emma Stone was also very good, and crazy hot. The problem I had was that the situations between everyone became more unbelievable as the movie went on. But those situations, while not great, weren't terrible either. The one thing I did have a major issue with was the son. Every time I saw him I wanted to slap him and shave his head. Maybe that is a little cruel for a child that can't act to save his life and has an absurd haircut, but whatever. Still, if the movie had wrapped up nicely it would have all been worth it. But the speech at the end went from dumb to just plain ridiculous. And if what's her face's dad was mad before, I wonder how he will react to being the father of a registered sex offender. You know, the polaroid deal. I mean, seriously!?!?!

Crazy, Stupid, Love is a poise between perfect love and the perfect heartache. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's movie is toned with a blessing of an appealing cast and a catalogue of emotions, accompanied by a sentimental description. The narrative is smart, counteracted by the bizarre irrational, dealing with love cheats, the self-pitying and the young and the wild. Steve Carell's role exploits the confusion of the male bearing. His wife Emily (Julianne Moore) declares her unfaithfulness due to her exasperated feelings of their long serving marriage. Cal (Carell) moves out in an attempt to clear the air, or in his case languish in his broodiness, wandering how his perfect suburban marriage crushed before his very eyes. Whilst in this fragile, yet sympathetic frame of mind he takes the time visiting a lustrous modern bar where he meets lady's man Jacob (Ryan Gosling). Jacob is a people watcher, a male spectator, inviting his services to help a man revitalise his sense of masculinity in an attempt to whisk the ladies off their feet and prize a night under the covers. Cal represents the typical middle-aged male stereotype, a lack of fashion sense, appalling hairstyle and a list of terrible handbook jokes. With Jacob's tuition Cal sets out on an operation to tangle with as many women as possible in a stab back at his unlawful and dishonest wife.

The film's ending cunningly weaves all our lead characters together in an unexpected round up of commotion and revealing confessions. Although we are familiar with Carell's usual role as the family sweetheart or the exile trying to bind his way into the mainstream, his usual temperament is recognised with mischievous tones that we adore him for.