Steve Carell (Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues) and Ryan Gosling (The Place Beyond the Pines) have both become big names in recent years, but in divergent terms, so in general it worked well bringing them together in Crazy, Stupid Love. With the affected cool of Gosling and Carell’s awkward comedy appeal the film starts out well with a good balance between the two, however, as the balance breaks down towards the end of the film it becomes too much of a bad farce to carry things off to the finish.
The plot sees the lives of Cal Weaver (Carell) and Jacob Palmer (Gosling) intertwine as Cal is faced with the possibility of a divorce from his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) after she cheated on him with accountant co-worker David Lindhagen, played nondescriptly by Kevin Bacon (Super DVD).
In the bar ridden mess of the aftermath of Emily breaking the news, Cal meets ladies man Jacob who promises to teach Cal how to get women to be more interested in him. With funny consequences in the first few attempts, Cal eventually gets it and starts to get girls for the first time in his life, as well as a renewed interest from his ex-wife.
It all breaks down as Jacob becomes genuinely interested in a girl for the first time in his life and it’s at the later fringes of the burgeoning romance that the bad farce starts to kick in. When a seemingly smart comedy turns silly it’s a bit disappointing and that’s sort of a part of our take away from watching the film.
While the Crazy, Stupid Love DVD is entertaining overall, you can’t help but feel like it doesn’t quite live up to its potential. Highlights include Marisa “ticking like this” Tomei as both Cal’s first big breakthrough with women and his son’s teacher, the cute chemistry between Gosling and Emma Stone (Gangster Squad) who plays Hannah, the girl that melts his heart, and the misplaced affections of Cal’s babysitter, Jessica Riley (Analeigh Tipton), for the suddenly irresistible middle aged Lothario.
Unless you’re super mushy, love Ryan Gosling, have a thing for Emma Stone or also find yourself uncontrollably attracted to Steve Carell this probably isn’t a DVD to add to your home entertainment collection, despite the deleted scenes extras. However, it’s worth a watch if you’re looking for some light-hearted and pseudo-pharsical fun.
Crazy, Stupid Love DVD review: 3/5
