Out now on dvd/blu-ray
The People's Reviews
Rating:
1 ratings and 2 reviews
Extract from theaterofthecommonman.com
Extract from theaterofthecommonman.com
With a surprising intellect, Like Crazy's plot takes the overwrought subject of complicated romance and pushes it towards a refreshing realm of bittersweet love. Director Drake Doremus's script examines the reality of a contemporary love when separated by land and sea. The relationship he unfolds does so through a well balanced mixture of personal interaction and electronic communication. Intentional or not, this creates intriguing new barriers as both Anna & Jacob are able to limit their interactions and censor any feelings of apprehension, resentment or guilt they made hold.
Sadly, there are some fundamental shortcomings in the film's delivery that do not complement its potential. A lot can be said about Doremus's highly improvisational style. For me, this diluted any real chemistry between Jacob and Anna. At times during it I felt their dynamic strongly and was engaged, but these moments were all too fleeting. I suspect this was a murky interaction between improv and script. Should the scenes have been more firmly constructed, I feel we may have had a completely different film, one with more bite. I did consider that the improv could have worked with more vigilant casting. For the most part I enjoyed Anton Yelchin's withdrawn portrayal of Jacob but felt that Felicity Jones was possibly miscast in her role. Whilst clearly a talented actress, I think she overplayed her part and seemed a little challenged by Drake Doremus's progressive direction.
Blue Valentine and The Graduate just made a baby
With all the big hype Oscar flicks that were released around the same time, I didn't pay a lot of attention to this film besides the fact that Jennifer Lawrence and Anton Yelchin were in it and that was enough in itself to make me check it out. Turned out for the best as I tend to get the most out of a good film I go into with no expectations.
First off, Felicity Jones. I knew Lawrence wasn't going to play the female lead going into this but was hoping she'd at least get a good 20/30 mins screen time. After the first ten minutes, I forgot Lawrence was even going to be in it. Jones is all over this movie in every impacting way. She portrays every emotion with unreal sensitivity and realism. Yelchin too is strong along side her and the two's up and down chemistry is the best I've seen in a long time. The film is only 90 mins and the story carries strong throughout, keeping you guessing as to the outcome of the relationship and finishes with a killer ending.
Like Crazy will break your heart three times and leave you hurting by the time the credits role. The best romance flick to come in a long time and one that I'm sure will be overlooked by many. If Blue Valentine jumped in a DeLorean and fooled around with The Graduate, Like Crazy would be their love child.
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