Cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
Directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Written by: Dan Fogelman
Genre: Comedy, Romance

On the surface, Crazy Stupid Love might seem like just another addition to the dismissible catalogue of Romantic Comedies. It is indeed a film whose plot centers on love in its many facets, and it certainly is funny. However, there is something larger at play here that consistently refrains from allowing this film to invite comparisons to inferior efforts. It is by definition a Romantic Comedy, but it’s oh so much more…

At the start, we join Cal and Emily Weaver (Steve Carell and Julianne Moore) during  an expensive dinner where she finally lets the word “divorce” slip past her lips. Distraught, Cal immediately wants to distance himself from the situation, he moves out that evening and soon finds himself frequenting a local bar. As he tells the umpteenth bar patron that his wife slept with David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon), he’s intercepted by a smooth-talking playboy named Jacob (Ryan Gosling). Jacob reinvents Cal through a new appearance, and helps him find the confidence to reclaim his manhood. But as Cal finally becomes of interest to the opposite sex, he still can only think of his wife.

In 2010, directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa made their feature film debut with the wildly eclectic I Love You, Phillip Morris – or otherwise known by the unsavory monicker “Jim Carrey’s gay prison movie” – and though it didn’t coalesce into much of financial or critical success, it demonstrated an uninhibited method of storytelling that set the directors apart. It’s almost shocking (almost, but not entirely) that this directing team has matured so greatly with this, their second feature. Almost every problem that plagued Phillip Morris has been rectified – awkward pacing, overwrought and rushed character development, and complimenting big moments with nuance. In a metaphor: Crazy Stupid Love is a well-oiled machine.

It’s a little hard to pinpoint what makes Crazy Stupid Love different. It’s almost like it’s an attitudinal thing, as if Ficarra and Requa knew the script they had on their hands could fall into familiar territory, and made a point to infuse it with a sense of nonconformity, while still staying inside the lines of genre. One obvious point is the script’s self-referential off-handed one-liners: in a devastating moment, Steve Carell gets stuck in the rain as he mutters, “how cliché”; or Emma Stone’s commentary on a PG-13 sex life (blatant, considering the film’s rating). This all plays into the unspoken mentality that, yes, this is a genre piece, but these conventions work well for a reason, and with a little extra finesse they don’t have to be a sign of unoriginality.

Another shift away from the typical rom-com is its unconventional casting. No offense to the Sandra Bullocks and Jennifer Garners, but the filmmakers were adamant about casting real actors in these parts. Julianne Moore plays the part of the conflicted wife with as much conviction as she demonstrated in The Kids Are All Right. It’s a joy to see Ryan Gosling play against his usual type of super serious character to embrace his charming good looks and personality. And though Steve Carell and Emma Stone appear in more mainstream comedies than the rest of the cast, they share a talent for emotional readiness which is no doubt the secret to their immense comedic talent. Every actor in Crazy Stupid Love seems to be in sync with the unique tone that Ficarra and Requa set, a tone that allows us to laugh, allows us to fall in love, and allows us to feel the emotional depth of its drama.

It is rare to find a film that combines so many elements and come out on top. The large ensemble of criss-crossing characters may make this a great contender as the heir to Love Actually. In fact, it’s hard to find a fault in this film. There just aren’t many films as fulfilling and gratifying as Crazy Stupid Love. Hopefully its virtue will charm any moviegoer that chooses to court it. This crazy stupid love affair is everything it promises and so much more.

USA. 118 minutes. Rated PG-13.

Click here to read the Blu-ray review.

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