Movie Review: Like Crazy

If you are in the mood for a very real love story that's not afraid to sugarcoat romance, then look no further than Like Crazy. Starring Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin, this film tells the story of Anna and Jacob, two star-crossed lovers both going to college in Los Angeles. Anna is an exchange student from the United Kingdom and must return home once she graduates. Instead she opts to remain in the United States with Jacob, thus violating her visa. After taking a quick trip home to visit her family, Anna is detained while trying to return to the United States. Now separated by thousands of miles, Anna and Jacob attempt to navigate the troubled waters of an extremely fervent long distance relationship.
Where Like Crazy hits the nail on the head is its deftness with visuals. The editing is truly brilliant here. I found myself on many occasions completely understanding and feeling the emotion of a scene with absolutely no dialogue. To accompany the impressive visuals is a perfect score for this film. The music does a great job of setting the appropriate mood for each scene and acts as an auditory translation of what each character is going through. Speaking of the characters, the acting is another high point of Like Crazy. The two main characters of Anna and Jacob were perfectly cast, and I was also impressed with Jennifer Lawrence's performance. The final positive note I want to make is that this film is a truly unique love story, one that many filmmakers are scared to attempt. It's real; Like Crazy doesn't flinch away from the scary and heartbreaking realities of any relationship.
So by now you're probably wondering why I only gave this film three stars. Part of the reason is simply how vapid the plot is. This is a great film visually, but there's not much substance to it. Two people fall in love, get separated from each other, and form lives apart while continuing to make their relationship work. There's just not much else going on here. The other big problem at hand is just how irritating the two lead characters are. Yes, they're perfectly acted, but it's how they're written where things go wrong. At the begining of the film Anna and Jacob are head-over-heels in love, which is a delight to witness on screen. As time progresses however, they struggle to continue their relationship. They form side romances, but refuse to reciprocate any deep feelings for these new people they've let into their lives. The relationship between Jacob and Samantha is particularly frustrating to watch unfurl. One can't help but feel awful for Samantha as she gets dragged through the mud, again and again, because Jacob can't bring himself to commit to her. Toward the end of Like Crazy it basically becomes the story of two people trying to rekindle a stagnant relationship, even though they seem much happier apart.
So, to conclude this movie review I will say that Like Crazy is a solid film. It misses the mark on a few important aspects, but I think that it's many positive elements do a good job of redeeming it. I would recommend giving it a watch if you get the chance. If you can get past the lack of substance in the plot and lead characters you sometimes want to yell at, I think that it's a gem of a romance movie and one that deserves more attention.
Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance, Drama

Run Time: 90 minutes

Release Date: October 28, 2011

My Rating: ★★★☆☆