Crazy, Stupid, Love.
User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 245 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 218 out of 245
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 245
  3. Negative: 10 out of 245

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  1. Shiira
    Sep 10, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers. It's raining frogs all throughout the city landscape, coming down in webbed sheets on its inhabitants, in which a chosen few, the filmically demarcated, some sad, others sadder, are just looking for somebody to love. The frogs in "Magnolia" is a verifiable miracle, proof positive that god exists. The amphibious downpour signifies hope, empirical evidence that anything can happen, and does, in the film's last scene where a drug-addled woman, lecherously maltreated by her incestuous father, smiles, probably for the first time in years, courtesy of a friendly cop, who says the magic words that jump starts Claudia's dead heart which kept daddy's plundered little girl in mental confinement since "it" happened, just before the screen fades to black. When the world(of P.T.A.) fades in again, in "Punch-Drunk Love"( the 2002 anti-romantic comedy that suggests the existence of soulmates), miracles still never ceases to amaze, offering even more proof of an all powerful, all knowing, absolute being, who manifests himself at a payphone, alongside an advancing parade down some Waikiki street, where the grace of god reflects back into the face of a bipolar bathroom supply wholesaler named Barry Egan(Adam Sandler), as he talks to Lena, the woman who falls in love with him, inexplicably. The harmonium is the miracle which started it all; the accidental harmonium, deposited curbside by some faceless man in a van, as it turns out, was a sign, a vestigial prompting which announces that a little music will soon be coming into Barry's life very shortly. Only seconds earlier, from the street's horizon where the small business owner works out of his warehouse, a fast-approaching vehicle veers from its straightaway destination, clipping a parked car, sending the wayward SUV into a flip and series of rolls, concurrently with the arrival of "the small piano". It's as if the devil and god are racing in the street, making a bid for Barry's soul. The very fact that Barry goes nowhere near the wreck would seem to indicate that the scene is largely allegorical. He knows who's driving, Like Claudia, the blue-suited man has his share of demons(he has mean sisters), yet yearns to be good, so he keeps his eyes on the prize, the harmonium, and ignores the disharmonious cacophony of pulverized metal and steel, whose music isn't suitable for deliverance. Soon after Barry meets his soulmate for the first time(when Lena drops off her car at the garage), he chooses love; chooses to take a chance on the harmonium, when he claims it from the sidewalk, clutching the instrument to his chest, tightly, at long last, taking a chance on life, as he runs back to the warehouse. The harmonium plays "soul music"; the harmonium is the filmmaker's visualization of the ancient proverb: "God works in mysterious ways." Lena is, in essence, an extension of the air-driven keyboard. A soulmate is the first miracle; a soulmate who just happens to attend the same high school as you, now that's the second miracle. "I'm pretty sure I'm your soulmate," says eighth grader Robbie Weaver quite matter-of-factly to his babysitter, in "Crazy, Stupid, Love", a multi-narrative film, that, at times, functions as an auxiliary world for "the freaks who suspect they could never love anyone," who populate Anderson's city of losers. Jacob, a serial womanizer, could be one of those guys who caught T.J. Mackey's "Seduce & Destroy" infomercial on late night T.V., bought the DVDs, and attended the seminar led by the toxic motivational speaker, sitting in a darkened auditorium with the other aspiring misogynistic libertines, taking notes on how to "tame that ****", along with other tricks of the trade, known to all great pick-up artists. Funny thing though, you never actually see the f*ck guru apply his craft; he's all rhetoric and no practice, whereas Jacob, always on the prowl at an upscale nightclub, gets the pick of the litter on a nightly basis. From the women-draped table he presides over, the tomcat spots Cal, "quietly judging [him]", and becomes his mentor, when the cuckolded man's whining over a disloyal wife starts to grate on Jacob's nerves. Emily is Cal's soulmate. But how can that be? She cheated on him. Hanna is Jacob's soulmate, but this horndog is somebody who knows "How To Fake Like You Are Nice And Caring". In "Bedtime Stories", like an ironic homage to "Magnolia", Skeeter(Sandler) gets rained on by gumballs; it's Exodus redux, but then the camera tilts up, revealing a breech in the truck carrying the sugary cargo, suggesting that for every supposed miracle, therein lies a logical explanation. Earl Partridge, a dying old man with regrets(from "Magnolia"), was once Robbie's age, thinking of his future wife in the same heavenly terms as the boy does towards the high school senior. But Earl was an adulterer, just like Emma, and so will Jacob, and perhaps even young, idealistic Robbie, because men do "terrible things".… Collapse
  2. kingshahid
    Sep 21, 2011
    10
    This movie had both comedy and romance. It hit on real-life situations with characters that represented many of people's actual characteristics. The movie is not something I would watch again, but it was a great movie.
  3. ChipperX
    Sep 6, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Love is all of these things at once - that is why a movie about "Crazy, Stupid, Love" succeeds as a romantic comedy. Okay, okay - that is only part of the reason. The ingredients for the success of this movie are irreverent comedy, razor-sharp dialogue, awesome imagination and great execution. In other words, the writers keep the love side hot, and the stupid side cool. No, really. Case in point: The divorce. Even though Cal's wife Emily asks him for a divorce, we can see that the two still love one another. Cal (Steve Carell) is predictably upset, since his character has only had ONE sexual partner his entire life - Emily (Julianne Moore). With the help of his pre-teen son, Cal sets out on a ridiculous quest to win her back. That's just CRAZY. This sets the stage for Steve Carell to sort-of reprise his stupidly-bumbling-but-good-natured-and-somehow-sexy role Andy from The Forty Year Old Virgin. And... it works. Somehow. There are plenty of sight gags and one-liners to keep everyone entertained, but beneath all the hilarity is a beautiful, messy painting which seeks to mirror the real world. I was reminded of my own life when viewing this movie - sometimes, when crazy things happen, you just have to shake your head and roll with it. As romantic comedies go, this was probably my favorite movie of the year. Loved it!

    - Chipper F. Xavier, Esq.    … Expand
  4. lifeisgood
    Jul 29, 2011
    10
    This movie was hilarious and touching at the same time. Great movie if you're looking to have some fun and laugh. Would highly recommend. Steve Carell is excellent in his role. Julianne Moore was great as always.
    Ryan Gosling is the perfect ladies man.
  5. caloriepacks
    Jul 29, 2011
    10
    Funny in a refreshingly adult way for the most part, along with some cliche, but still well done heart. One of the best attempts at a romantic dramedy in quite awhile.

    All of the cast was on top of their game.
  6. abb
    Aug 2, 2011
    10
    Great movie! The performances by the entire cast were wonderful. Just when you think you have the plot figured out, there are some surprising plot twists. Must see movie this summer. I can't wait until it is on DVD!
  7. 225tracey
    Aug 3, 2011
    10
    WAY better than your average romantic comedy! Granted when i saw it with my friends, there was only 1 guy in the audience, but it is definitely one movie you should see this summer. Love the cast, absolutely hilarious, and the view of Ryan Gosling ain't bad, right ladies? ;)
  8. Anotherday1787
    Aug 12, 2011
    10
    Anyone who has dealt with divorce and how it shakes a family will appreciate the frank honesty and humor that can come with it. Carell and Moore do a wonderful job. That said, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling steal the show right out from under them. I found myself wondering what Stone and Gosling were doing when Carell and Moore's storyline picked up. Despite that, this air-tight love story is touching and romantic. Honorable mention to Marissa Tomei who is fantastic!… Expand
  9. LetzTalkMoveez
    Sep 18, 2011
    10
    Probably the only romantic that could be called an epic. Sprawling, complex, intricately structured, and multi-layered. Hilarious, poignant, involving, and endlessly entertaining. Adjective, adjective, adjective. This movie's awesome. Anything else you want to say? Get the hell out.
  10. JoseCosta
    Oct 14, 2011
    10
    This movie is about men's life. It shows how to be single and how to be married and a father. The part of the film that's about flirting with women is fully applicable in real life, and the marriage issues too.
  11. Unsungfilms
    Jan 12, 2012
    10
    I watched this movie three times within a week, two of them during my flight back and forth from London to Athens. Shortly after it had ended for the third time, I realized that if a movie of this mixed genre, comedy-drama-romance still hasnâ
  12. LynnHardy
    Apr 6, 2012
    10
    What a great surprise! I thought I was being dragged to another chic-flick girls night out movie, but this was so much more. The humor is great - I had to rent it just so my husband could see it too!
  13. sfjcg
    Jan 16, 2012
    9
    I really enjoyed the movie. The story was interesting and the acting was really good. The only thing I had trouble believing was that the babysitter was only 17. I think the actress was miscast. Her crush on Carrell was not very believable. She did a good job considering though. The movie never mentioned herpes which, no doubt, Gosling's character had to have had after sleeping with 100's of women throughout the years. Steve Carrell's character slept with 9 women in a short space of time - no mention of worrying about herpes from him either. I guess that would make the movie a bit too serious, but for younger viewers watching this, it's not very realistic.… Expand
  14. riversus
    Jul 17, 2012
    9
    Finally something that is more than a common comedy. It's a sort of evolution that take the audience to analyse some aspects of their own life even maintaining a positive mood in the people. I gave 9/10 because i found some parts, related to the love story of the kid, too much banal. Anyway a very good movie and i hope that it will be the beginning of a new structure for romantic comedy that is more than the usual "and finally they **** and lived happily ever after"… Expand
  15. beelzie14
    Oct 13, 2011
    9
    What a great film. If you loved American Beauty and Click (Adam Sandler) then this should be your cup of tea. Funny whilst being poignant, light-hearted whilst heavy hitting.
    Carrell plays funny and serious to perfection - Emma Stone is as astounding as usual - Julianne Moore brings her usual class and understated elegance - Ryan Gosling is brilliant and is in every great film which is on     at present (not coincidental) - and then there is the up-and-coming Analeigh Tipton who has such classic looks and revives the "Mena Suvari" character from American Beauty.
    You can't help but be pulled along by the film where not a minute goes by without something happening for a reason. There's no point where I felt it was dropping in intensity, whilst the twist near the end really does come from nowhere.    … Expand
  16. scrieciu
    Aug 8, 2011
    9
    This movie offers an enjoyable story that you can relate to. It has a great set of characters, played by a great set of actors (such as Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, etc). Everybody did their part perfectly. Ryan Gosling's character (Jacob) is a good example of what most guys would want to be like when it comes to women. He's cool, he wears nice clothes. He's more of a pickup artist type, since he uses pickup lines. Usually in movies, these sorts of characters are represented as '' douche bags ''. In this case, Jacob is not, and I liked that. After seeing in the trailer how Jacob teaches Cal (Carell) how to talk to women seemed unoriginal. But the movie is not just about helping Cal. It also has love situations between other characters. Sure, Cal wants to get is wife back (Julianne Moore), but he goes throw a lot of funny, awkward and painful moments. I like the fact that those characters love interest somehow ends up all together at some point, which was hilarious. It's a wonderful movie, it shouldn't even get classified with other romantic comedies.… Expand
  17. moviemonger
    Jul 30, 2011
    9
    Some of the themes from this movie were yanked from the love story junkyard and planted in the vehicle known as "Crazy, Stupid, Love", but the characters in this movie are so well sculpted that you forget some of the cliches. Steve Carell is fantastic. Emma Stone is spot on. Gosling is perfectly cast. Tomei, who I want to return to her "My Cousin Vinny" days is replaceable. I left the theater reaching back into my past and grasping onto the optomistic things that I once held so tight.… Expand
  18. BenIsThisGuy
    Aug 11, 2011
    9
    Fabulous and hilariously funny! It was great how the script had a lot of surprises especially at the end; well worth the watch. I will see this movie again. Great performances by all the actors. What was good about this movie was you got the moral of it and then some, such as, laughs along the way.
  19. zizzoT
    Aug 20, 2011
    9
    To be honest I came into this movie first not thinking I was gonna love it, I thought maybe I would find it cute, but It would be forgettable and not that great.I walked in with my mom and three of my cousins, two of them were only 9 and 11. But I thought "It's pg-13, it probably is fine." But it was totally inappropriate for the both of them, so we had to leave barely midway. But my brother and I were having a good time. I found it funny, a bit silly, but funny. And it made me want to see the rest of it. When came back to new york, I saw it again with my dad, and the more it went on from where I left, I thought it was funny, unique, very touching, and incredibly acted and well written. It wasn't a perfect movie, it had it's flaws, but the cast, and the writing, totally make up for it's flaws. I loved this movie. It's the first great romantic comedy in years.… Expand
  20. Allessio77
    Aug 29, 2011
    9
    Lee Marvin meets Pygmalian.....but love wins in the end, in the very clever, never boring, always unnerving story of how we love in the 21st century. I normally hate these kinda movies, but this one is really good. Tears....yes.
  21. EssenceOfSugar
    Nov 30, 2012
    9
    Well, it
  22. csw12
    Mar 25, 2012
    9
    A wonderful comedy that is not ony funny but has its serious moments that aren't forced. Acting is fantastic by a fantastic actors. The movie didn't succumb to the lame comedies of the summer time which made it enjoyable to watch.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 40
  3. Negative: 1 out of 40
  1. Empire
    Reviewed by: Olly Richards
    Sep 19, 2011
    80
    A wonderful comedy of romance, pain and getting it all wrong until somebody makes you do it right. The kind of film that makes you want to call someone the minute it's over, even if just to tell them to go see this movie.
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  2. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    Jul 29, 2011
    75
    Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei make the most of their limited screen time, injecting straight comedy into a movie that occasionally comes close to losing its sense of humor.
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  3. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Andrew O'Hehir
    Jul 29, 2011
    70
    Richer and more enjoyable than the other lame-stream comedies Hollywood has churned out this summer, even though it doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be when it grows up.
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