“Crazy, Stupid, Love” is Crazy Stupid Good

I’ve decided I need to do more movie reviews. Apparently, when I have a grown-up movie in my hands and a deadline, I actually make the time to sit and watch a grown-up movie, from start to finish.

Honestly, the way my life is these days, I’m either watching something on the Disney Channel or a kids show on Netflix. Only lately have I decided I need a little grown-up TV time and I turn on House Hunters. It’s one of my favorite shows and it has nothing objectionable to a 4 year old (although some of the real estate choices are a little questionable).

So when Warner Home Video asked if I’d like to review a copy of Crazy, Stupid, Love, I thought sure, why not? And then I decided I should see what the movie is all about.

Because I’m so out of touch, I had never even heard of this movie. Clearly, it was advertised, played in the theaters, and is now out on DVD. And I missed it all. That’s okay. I went into it with an open mind.

I looked at the cast list:

• Steve Carell (I think he is hilarious. I love him.)
• Julianne Moore (Very good actress)
• Ryan Gosling (Never seen him in a movie but apparently all the ladies consider him eye candy)
• Emma Stone (Nope, never heard of her)
• Marisa Tomei (Hey, I remember her!)
• Kevin Bacon (We all love Bacon, right?)

There were a few more actors but that was the bulk of the cast. They called it an ensemble which is usually my favorite type of cast.

Okay. The cast list looked good. Now for the synopsis:

At fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver is living the dream – good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily, has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his “perfect” life quickly unravels.

Well, as a fortysomething myself, I was ready to invest two hours into the storyline. I even asked a few people out there what they thought. Some people loved it. Some people liked it. Some thought it was a little too predictable.

Here’s what I thought:

I LOVED IT!

Trust me. No one is more surprised than me to say that. I don’t usually love mainstream films. I don’t love “pretty boys” in the movies. I rarely laugh out loud at comedies, even if they are funny. And I’m way too critical of the writing and the acting and the believability of the movie. But in the end, it’s a movie. Should it be realistic?

I laughed out loud. Several times. I got tears in my eyes (not in a sobbing kind of way). And yes, I will admit. Ryan Gosling is totally eye candy.

The storyline went in several different directions but never felt scattered. And then, towards the end, just as everything is starting to work out just the way I want it to, BAM! They totally threw me for a loop. I never saw it coming. And I bought into it.

I won’t tell you much about the actual story. I’ll just give you my recommendation. And to balance out all the praise, I will admit that the storyline with the babysitter and her parents was a little overacted and was the only part that really felt contrived.

But the biggest surprise of all? This was adapted from a screenplay written by Dan Fogelman, who wrote “Cars.” Who knew? Kids and grown-ups alike love his stories.