Crazy Stupid Love is a film i've seen four times now and I have to admit I loved it, it is a comedy about love and relationships, its funny, its realistic, its sad and its thoughtful, overall it really tries to dip beyond the usual cliches and offer a slightly more realistic and at times depressing view of the roundabout we all try to jump onto, but all fall off of at various points and then wonder whether we want to get back on it.

==The Story==

Cal Weaver (Steve Carrell) and Emily Weaver (Julianne Moore) are professionals with really good jobs, one day Emily tells Cal after an evening out that she spent the night with David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon), a work colleague and wants some time apart. Cal is broken, his family are his life and the time apart forces this mild mannered accountant who met and married his first love to re-evaluate his life.

Returning to the singles circuit after 20 years he regularly visits a bar and watches Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) in action, Jacob has the gift of the gab and spends his evenings charming different ladies into bed. Jacob takes pity on the dishevelled Cal one evening and agrees to help him out.

He takes him clothes shopping helps him regain his confidence and then sets him on the road to becoming a ladies man, however beneath Jacob's woman-eating persona is a guy hurt by family issues who finds it hard to get close to people, despite these difficulties he meets and falls for the independent minded Hannah (Emma Stone) and tries to put his past behind him and become a one woman man.

As Cal realises he needs his wife and family and Jacob realises he has met the 'one' both have to contemplate their current lives and their behaviour and change. Can Cal win back his family, does he want to, can Jacob stay on the straight and narrow and win the girl and does she want him to. In addition, Cal's son Robbie (Jonah Weaver) has a mad crush on his babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton) but she herself is smitten with Cal and what will the ubiquitous David Lindhagen do to win Emily?

The story develops perfectly interweaving character stories to a satisfying finish, but will it be a happy one?


==Cast==

The cast is excellent, Steve Carell is brilliant as Cal a man almost institutionalised by marriage and unable to function without his wife and family, his transformation from geeky accountant to ladykiller is amusing and uplifting in equal measure as always Carell brings a likeable screen presence even when his behaviour is a bit naughty. His relationship with Jacob is much smarter and more nuanced than the usual comedy buddy movies and more rewarding in the later stages because of this.

Ryan Gosling is excellent as Jacob, smart and impossibly smooth with the ladies, we only see elements of his true personality later and he does a beautiful job opening up himself, his performance is comedic and very powerful and is memorable, the Dirty Dancing love scene and his ripped stomach will appeal to some viewers more than others but he clearly put in the work to play this part and does a great job.

Julianne Moore is underused as Emily, she is solid and confused by her relationship with a work colleague and her feelings for her husband, but for much of the film she is kept in the background while the guys story develops, as always she is a strong screen presence, but underused.

Emma Stone as always is great fun, she is sassy, smart and prepared to face down smooth Jacob, until they get together her role is bitty, however during their seduction scene she is brilliant and the intimacy between Jacob and Hannah is fantastic, nothing sexual but sexy, funny and electric, she is an actress who just lights up the screen in everything she plays and is enjoyable in this.

Solid support is provided by Jonah Weaver as mature romantic schoolboy Robbie and Analeigh Tipton as Jessica the girl whose mad crush on Cal could destroy him, Kevin Bacon really plays Kevin Bacon but surely that is more than enough for most film fans. The ever reliable Marisa Tomei is also excellent as a spurned teacher.

This ensemble cast are enjoyable to watch and clearly had a lot of fun.

My View:

This is a mature and fun romantic comedy which has a very satisfying last quarter, the dynamic between Carell and Gosling is excellent, they really spark off each other, the dynamic between Stone and Gosling is realistic, sweet and cool, the whole cast are spot on in their performances and the story mixes the right levels of comedy, sexiness and pathos as this middle aged man begins to feel slightly silly chasing young women when all he wants is his one true love.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sight of Steve Carell for once being cool (if only for a little while) and felt Gosling maintained his superb level of performance from previous films, the idea of this film is that love can cross boundaries, in essence it is a very sweet film that has got good reviews from everyone I know who has seen it, the soundtrack is excellent, the direction patient and understanding and the acting is the key to the whole film.

The film is currently available for £9.99 or rentable through Lovefilm, it is worth seeing and thoroughly memorable.