Love's labor lost... and found

Film review: Crazy Stupid Love

MANILA, Philippines - To be honest, while I’ve enjoyed Steve Carrell’s television work, I’ve not thought much of his Hollywood film forays. His modern-day Noah and updated Maxwell Smart left me cold; wondering if producers would ever find the right match for his unique comedic persona. So it wasn’t with a lot of expectations that I entered the cinema with my three boys to watch Crazy Stupid Love. From the trailer, it looked like a foray into the mind of your average American male nebbish, forced to face his mid-life crisis, with a wife (Julianne Moore) who is out to divorce him, and his encounters with a young pick-up artist (Ryan Gosling), as he re-enters the dating “pool.” Great comedic set-up for a middle-aged male Cinderella story; and you knew coming in, that true love would eventually conquer and family would be restored — the requisite feel-good and “family values” ending Hollywood loves!

But here’s the thing, while I did surmise correctly; the intelligent screenplay, the film’s surprising texture, the impressive ensemble acting, all made the film so much more than a sum of its parts, and I left teary-eyed and thinking, here finally, is the breakthrough Steve Carrell film we’ve been waiting for. Funny yet serious and touching are what come to mind.

To a large part, this is thanks to the wonderful roles created by Emma Stone (as a young lawyer), the 13-year-old son (Robbie) of Carrell’s and Moore’s characters, the transformation of Ryan’s “stud” character, and the 17-year-old babysitter. They give the film texture, pathos and a level of comedic levity that add poignant real-ness to the film. Kudos to them, Carrell and Marissa Tomei’s hilarious cameo!

Thankfully, Carrell doesn’t have the same problem as say, Adam Sandler. Sandler’s early, phenomenal success relied so much on brazen craziness and outright stupidity that it left us breathless with laughter! Unfortunately, as Sandler matures and wants to be taken seriously as an actor, the old formula won’t work, and it seems the audience isn’t that interested in him anymore. In the movie, the role of clueless husband and earnest searcher of his soulmate fits Carrell like a glove, bestowing him the mantle of atypical romantic leading man. One can look back to the likes of Woody Allen, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey in their prime, to glean just how Carrell may finally have found his romantic niche with the film.