Warm rom com
Going by the posters with a high heeled lady and an awestruck Steve Carell, I thought the movie was going to be way different than how it actually turned out to be. In the end it exceeded my expectations and ended up to be a really sweet romantic comedy. It’s really tough to write proper rom com without being cheap about it. The directors have made sure that they have handled multiple storylines and done it whole heartedly with so much warmth. And I guess that’s the success of the movie.
The movie starts with a break up of sorts between Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) and Emily Weaver (Julianne Moore) in the car and that for me wasn’t really a great start to the movie. But a Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) trying to woo Hannah Weaver (Emma Stone), well, that’s a start. Any guy after watching the movie is gonna step into the bar and think about doing it, only that it won’t work until and unless you’re a Gosling. Whether you’re a fan or not, Ryan Gosling is gonna sweep you off your feet in the movie. And with Emma Stone being there, there is always a sense of discipline in acting. She’s one of the actresses, even while doing a rom com, commands respect. That in a way transforms to the film as well. There is also a storyline with the kids, Robbie Weaver (Jonah Bobo) who falls for Jessica Riley (Analeigh Tipton), who in turns falls for Cal. Even though it sounds silly it’s not, it’s not at all childish in a way it was handled.
While Cal and Emily get separated, Cal goes to the bar where Jacob picks up random women just like chips out of packet and makes Cal too the same way. This process is entertaining no matter how many times it gets repeated in cinema. And when a person like Gosling does, its just icing on the cake. Just like the women out there, Cal couldn’t say no too. Good thing about the film is, he doesn’t get transformed from Ambi to Remo but remains a normal looking Cal to better looking Cal. If you see him in a flash, you can’t really find the difference. That’s the sense of sincerity the film shows in its making. Nothing over the top to make it look like a fantasy but nothing practical enough to make it mundane.
Post the transformation, Cal gets a number of women, including a teacher of his son, whom Cal and Emily meet because Robbie had sworn in class. Now that’s brilliant screenplay. Something which makes us respect the movie. As much as the situation is funny, its not done cheap, there is a proper logical order the events follow. But its not the same case when the biggest twist of the film happens, where we get to know Hannah is indeed a daughter of Cal. There was no clue about it and it was kind of cheap. But the situation was well managed by the on-screen chaos between the leads.
There is no surprise that its going to be one happy ending in the end but a couple of takeaway points are not making Jacob sound like a loser and giving the Robbie kid his due. The respect the movie gives to all the characters is a thing to appreciate.
constantscribbles 