Crazy, Stupid, Love

Two-thirds of the way through Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) stops being a solid dramedy and decomposes into treacle. As with so many comedies, directors Glenn Ficara and John Requa can't take their idea to the finish line, falling back on resolutions either cliched or facile. It's a nice try anyway, mostly providing a romcom of unusual depth and feeling.

Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) and his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) split after Cal finds out she's been seeing coworker David (Kevin Bacon). Emily quickly regrets the breakup, fending off David's advances while managing teenaged son Robbie (Jonah Bobo). Cal fails pathetically on the dating scene until he meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a smooth womanizer who takes Cal under his wing. Cal gains confidence to start dating, while Jacob falls unexpectedly for Hannah (Emma Stone), a law student with her own ideas about love.

Crazy, Stupid, Love captures something of the messy truth about relationships. Cal and Emily provide a realistic couple whose relationship grows stale. The two met in high school, a sweet story until the circumstances come out; there's more work put into marriage than being a soul mate. Emily's fling is a cry of desperation but leads to trouble when David develops feelings for Emily. Hannah initially rejects Jacob's advances, holding on to her drippy boyfriend (Josh Groban) who seems to love her. She runs to Jacob in a weak moment but discovers depth beneath his sculptured abs and suave demeanor. For his part, Jacob enjoys his lady killer lifestyle and is shocked when he falls for Hannah.

Writer Dan Fogelman skilfully mixes humor with characterization. The movie's big laughs come from Cal's hilariously inept dating strategy, inevitably recalling The 40 Year Old Virgin, but presents them in clever fashion: he beds Robbie's English teacher (Marissa Tomei) by being ruthlessly honest! The highpoint involves Jacob's abortive one-night stand with Hannah; instead of "banging" all night they bond over massage chairs and intimate conversation. It's funny, heartfelt and affecting, a brilliant centerpiece that gets everything right. Sure, there's no need for the annoying subplot with Robbie and his babysitter (Analeigh Tipton), but that comes with the territory.

Unfortunately, Crazy, Stupid, Love eventually moves wholesale to that territory. The final 30 minutes completely derail, pulling out mawkish cliches alongside some decidedly odd twists. The big revelation(s) about Hannah comes with no set up and seems a curve ball designed specifically to create friction between Cal and Jacob. Silver Linings Playbook went a similar route but there the cliches and twists feel almost organic; it "earns" its happy ending. When Crazy degenerates into a slapstick fight and sexting jokes, before leaning on a 13 year old to tell us the unvarnished truth, we've taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Steve Carell anchors the film with a fine performance. Best-known for TV's The Office, Carrel balances comedy and drama with equal adeptness, getting some of the funniest scenes (seducing Kate) and most heartfelt (his "break up" with Jacob and end speech to Emily). Julianne Moore plays more or less the straight woman, heartbroken but sincere, instantly regretting her break with Cal. Kevin Bacon makes Dave likeable rather than sleazy, a smart approach. John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac) plays Cal's friend as a nice guy, but Marissa Tomei (The Ides of March) is a comic nutter. Singer Josh Groban cameos as Hannah's pathetic boyfriend. Only the kid actors flop, hurt more by lousy writing than their performances.

But it's the younger couple who steals the show. Ryan Gosling plays outside his somnambulist pretty boy persona, to great effect. Jacob reveals layers to his ladies' man act, making an unlikely friend in Cal and forging an unexpected connection with Hannah. Emma Stone, fresh off her breakout role in Easy A, is a revelation. Beautiful, charming and sassy, she's immensely likeable and makes Hannah a rounded character, smart and serious but romantically frustrated. The two make an appealing couple, both attractive and likeable, getting the movie's best scenes.

Crazy, Stupid, Love is so good for its first 90 minutes that it's possible to downplay its cloying conclusion. I'm always happy to see a romantic comedy that aims higher than the Katherine Heigl demographic, so cheers. Too bad about the ending.