Punctuation is prominent in the title Crazy, Stupid, Love, the latest film by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. The first two words in the title are not adjectives that describe the third. Rather it is if they are all synonyms all describing the same thing.
It is quite obvious the studio wants to sell the film as a sex farce with the main attraction being Steve Carell. But this movie changes direction very unexpectedly more than once and plays with things that lead to deep moments of feeling and moments that create uncontrollable laughter. The storyline does not lead you to where you would expect it would – making it refreshing.
At some point let's hope Carell can stop feeling the need to play a complete schlep. His talent makes him so capable of doing more. Nevertheless with the film he comes close to leaving the schlep behind than in any other movie he's been in since Little Miss Sunshine or Dan in Real Life.
Cal Weaver his character is a sad sort of person, who was not always like that and could change being a loser to something else if he wanted to. First you see him figuratively slapped over the head with a skillet at dinner as his wife says she has slept around and wants a divorce.
Hurt deeply he moves to a little bachelor pad and starts to go to singles bars close to home. Since he was married his entire adult life he has no idea how to communicate with women. Finally Jacob Palmer a womanizing bar patron takes him under his wing to give him an attitude and fashion makeover.
He shows Cal what to do, gives him a sense of presence and timing and under the tutelage of Palmer things begin to work right for Cal. Finally he scores with an alcoholic in recovery played perfectly by Marisa Tomei. In many films that would end the storyline. Loser becomes winner then becomes a complete jerk, attracts his wife and then she reinvents him to his old self.
But the script by Dan Fogelman wants to go a bit deeper with it find the real emotions of our world. Life is plenty more complex than simple romantic comedies want us to think. Because the movie is as much about unrequited love as it is anything else. There is a long list one after the other of people that care for someone who will not return the affection. From Cal to Emily then to Cal's son and his desire for the babysitter who also has a thing or two for Cal.
Most of the comedies about romance today vacillate before eventually putting the two who belong together, together but the script is more than that and uses frustrated desires for deeper and richer comedy.
This film could end up being the summer's most surprisingly enjoyable film. A comedy that just does not create things to end them with punch line after punch line, this comedy has more content and substance and even though you laugh, you still feel a twinge as well.
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