Crazy, Stupid, Love

We're in Ohio for a week visiting Caitie's parents. It's always a good time for me there - good food, lots of relaxing, and lots of time to read and write.

We went to see "Crazy, Stupid Love" yesterday, and I was pretty surprised by it to be honest. It wasn't my first choice, but hey, Steve Carrell is usually pretty funny, Julianne Moore is always good, and Emma Stone is cute. It turned out to be a much better movie than I expected.

I don't want to give much away in terms of plot because I kind of feel like the less you know going in, the better off you'll be. All you really need to know is Steve Carrell's character Cal is blindsided when his wife, Emily (Moore), tells him she wants a divorce. He goes into something of a downward spiral until he meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a lady's man who agrees to teach Cal how to be "cool." There are subplots involving a woman Jacob attempts to pick up at the local bar (Stone), and Cal's son's crush on his babysitter.

The cast is uniformly strong. Gosling, Carrell, Moore, and Stone are all perfectly cast. Kevin Bacon has a somewhat dull cameo -- they could have given him more to do. Marissa Tomei however has a very funny smaller role that's pretty much worth the price of admission alone.

Overall, I was surprised and impressed with this movie. I laughed out loud several times, and I guess the romantic in me related to the message that love isn't easy, but it's worth it.