Crazy, Stupid, Love: A funny new way of looking at love

Over the past few years, the number of divorces that have ripped families apart has been on the rise. A view of family life has shifted from the necessity of the husband and wife to stick together towards a belief that everyone should do whatever it takes to be happy. Divorce was always looked at with a scorn that is reserved for something that is hated. It has always been a matter of serious consequence; but what if it triggers the start of many comical incidents?

Cal and Emily were a happily married couple, or at least that seemed to be the case until Emily decided to ask for a divorce while Cal was deciding what to have for dessert when they were enjoying dinner in a restaurant. Evidently Cal is in shock but decides to move out of the house where he lived with his wife and children as he mops in private by drinking heavily at a local bar. As Cal proceeds to recite to anyone who will listen about his wife’s affair and request for a divorce, Jacob, a suave and handsome young man, overhears his willowing and pities him. Jacob decides to teach Cal his ways and help him pick up women at the bar so Cal can get over his wife and move on with his life. The ensuing training brings out many hilarious moments as Jacob teaches Cal the ways of bachelorhood while he himself falls in love with a young woman who he wants to settle down with. At the same time, Cal and Emily struggle with getting their children to accept their impending divorce and how to deal with their beloved Nana.

By taking a serious topic like divorce and twisting it around in a hilarious way, directors Glen Ficarra and John Requa have allowed the audience an opportunity to laugh at some of life’s miserable moments. Although it can be quite serious at instances, divorce isn’t as grave a subject as death, murder, genocide and the like which fall under the genre of dark humour.

The plot itself stems from quite an original idea where a to-be-divorced husband is befriended by a younger man who has to initiate him into bachelorhood, something that the husband has never really experienced previously. Writer Dan Fogelman has put in some great ideas and parallel stories in the plot which makes it fresh and interesting when watching the film. The small twist in the plot and the minor confusion that it creates is a great addition that brings the stories together. In addition, the film provides a slightly askew but unique view of what love has become in the modern age.

The film has Steve Carell’s unique style of comedy balanced with Ryan Gosling’s smouldering good looks. It is a very good film that balances comedy, drama and romance.