When Steve Carell asks his wife, played by Julianne Moore, what she wants for desert when they are out for dinner at the beginning of Crazy, Stupid, Love., she says, “a divorce.”
He goes into a tailspin and soon finds himself in a singles bar bemoaning divorced life after 25 years of marriage. Ryan Gosling, playing a smooth-talking ladies’ man, is a regular at the bar and leaves with a different lovely lady every night. However, one girl (Emma Stone), while attracted, doesn’t buy his line.
Gosling takes pity on Carell, gives him a makeover and teaches him his tricks. Soon Carell is going home with a different lovely lady some nights too. Marisa Tomei plays the lovely lady the first night.
But this doesn’t make Carell any happier, he just wants to get back with Moore and his kids. He even sneaks over to his old yard at night to prune the hedge and water the flowerbeds. Meanwhile his 13-year old son (a great Jonah Bobo) is in love with his babysitter (Analeigh Tipton), but her love interest is elsewhere. And, a further complication, Moore is getting involved with office friend Kevin Bacon.
Everyone is in love, but not always with the right person. Scriptwriter Dan Fogelman sets everything up very nicely then works in a couple of funny twists. This is a feel good movie, not completely believable, but easy to take and fun to watch.
Rating: three deer out of five
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Best friends Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin fight over the man in their life in Something Borrowed.