And over your shoulder are the lights of the city...
The problem with all-star casts is that they often act as a distraction from an ordinary script, plot, and characters. I was afraid that Crazy Stupid Love would fall into that trap, because the four main characters are played by leading actors Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore and Steve Carell.
The film opens over dinner between Cal (Carell) and Emily (Moore) Weaver - he's deciding what he'd like for dessert and she reveals that she has slept with a co-worker and wants a divorce.
Formulaic productions go one of two ways: they make her out to be the villain of the piece and he goes on to meet the true love of his life; OR he becomes a desperate shell of a man and eventually wins her back in his utter devotion.
But this isn't just another romantic comedy. This isn't some epic love story. This is about two people who have spent their entire adult lives together trying to forge separate ones, despite still caring about each other - because 'all you need is love' doesn't always ring true in a marriage.
Cal begins spending time at bars, trying (unsuccessfully) to garner sympathy for his cheating wife, whilst coming to terms with his new lifestyle.
This is where he catches the eye of Jacob Palmer (Gosling), a suave, charming womaniser who takes pity on the man and decides to help him out. They shop, they make-over, they drink and, before too long, Jacob's protege has flown the nest and is back in the game.
Layers are built, peripheral characters are introduced (their children, the hopelessly devoted babysitter, Kevin Bacon as Emily's one-night stand, Marisa Tomei as Cal's first fling) and the dominoes start falling.
There's a scene after Cal's recent exploits come to light, where Emily's being passive aggressive because she knows she has no right to react adversely. He's trying to justify his actions as getting on with his life, revealing that he's since slept with nine women. Emily (clearly emotional, but trying not to give anything away) congratulates him, "Well, good for you! You sure showed me!"
That's just one example of what I enjoyed about this film - the brutal honesty and humanity, that in the face of something so hurtful we use anger and/or humour as a defence mechanism.
The ending is quite ambiguous. There's no happily ever after. And while there's somewhat of a conclusion, it's essentially a slice of life - not something with a beginning, middle and end. It's not a perfect film, but I really appreciated the story it was trying to tell.
I liked the unexpected moments, the various relationships explored, the way it all unfolded. And while there were predictable moments, there was enough substance, grit, humour, truth, and heart to ensure that this film didn't fall into the 'star-studded flop' category.
The film opens over dinner between Cal (Carell) and Emily (Moore) Weaver - he's deciding what he'd like for dessert and she reveals that she has slept with a co-worker and wants a divorce.
Formulaic productions go one of two ways: they make her out to be the villain of the piece and he goes on to meet the true love of his life; OR he becomes a desperate shell of a man and eventually wins her back in his utter devotion.
But this isn't just another romantic comedy. This isn't some epic love story. This is about two people who have spent their entire adult lives together trying to forge separate ones, despite still caring about each other - because 'all you need is love' doesn't always ring true in a marriage.
Cal begins spending time at bars, trying (unsuccessfully) to garner sympathy for his cheating wife, whilst coming to terms with his new lifestyle.
This is where he catches the eye of Jacob Palmer (Gosling), a suave, charming womaniser who takes pity on the man and decides to help him out. They shop, they make-over, they drink and, before too long, Jacob's protege has flown the nest and is back in the game.
Layers are built, peripheral characters are introduced (their children, the hopelessly devoted babysitter, Kevin Bacon as Emily's one-night stand, Marisa Tomei as Cal's first fling) and the dominoes start falling.
There's a scene after Cal's recent exploits come to light, where Emily's being passive aggressive because she knows she has no right to react adversely. He's trying to justify his actions as getting on with his life, revealing that he's since slept with nine women. Emily (clearly emotional, but trying not to give anything away) congratulates him, "Well, good for you! You sure showed me!"
That's just one example of what I enjoyed about this film - the brutal honesty and humanity, that in the face of something so hurtful we use anger and/or humour as a defence mechanism.
The ending is quite ambiguous. There's no happily ever after. And while there's somewhat of a conclusion, it's essentially a slice of life - not something with a beginning, middle and end. It's not a perfect film, but I really appreciated the story it was trying to tell.
I liked the unexpected moments, the various relationships explored, the way it all unfolded. And while there were predictable moments, there was enough substance, grit, humour, truth, and heart to ensure that this film didn't fall into the 'star-studded flop' category.
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