The Expectations
It is somewhat a rarity for comedy movies to get a rating of 7 and above on IMDB. At least, that is what I have observed. So this movie turned my head with its 7.5 rating while promising to make me laugh.
The Story
Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is shocked when his wife asks for a divorce and in the aftermath, he befriends Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who does a makeover on Cal to transform his married middle-age look to that of a sexy man-cougar.
Let me just say that there are intricate polygons of love in the movie from there on and anything more I say will only serve as a spoiler.
The Analysis
This movie delivers its fair share of laughs, especially in my favourite scene somewhere in the 2nd half of the movie when everything comes together (literally) along with a little twist in the story and chaos reigns. Prior to this point in the movie, you don't see where the movie is actually heading, but after this, you start smiling a lot more than you laugh and that is where you begin to understand what the movie is trying to convey - that love is crazy, love is stupid and you cannot rationalize it. Hence the title.
The message is simple and ironically, the director coveys it with a help of a complex set of relationships.
The performances of all actors are natural. Ryan Gosling steals the show in the first half and Steve Carell in the second. Emma Stone is a lively presence throughout the movie as is becoming her wont.
Watch out for the cheesy pick-up lines that Gosling uses to pick up women from the bar. There is a thing or two we can learn from them. :P
The Verdict
While it may not be a must-watch, it is certainly a pleasant one. :)
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