Carl Weaver(Steve Carell) is shattered when his wife Emily(Julianne Moore) asks for a divorce. They have been married for 25 years after meeting in high school for the first time. Emily had recently slept with a colleague David Lindhagen(Kevin Bacon). She thinks something is missing in their marriage and wants a divorce. As a result, Carl moves into an apartment and becomes a regular visitor to a nearby bar. At the bar, he fails to impress girls or even make friends with anyone.
Carl's depressing antics at the bar catches the attention of Jacob Palmer(Ryan Gosling). Jacob gives him the truth about his appearance and behavior which makes people run away from him. Jacob wants to give Carl a makeover and instructs him to be at the shopping mall at a given time. Carl entrusts his kids to the regular babysitter Jessica and goes to meet Jacob. At the apartment, his 13-years old son Robbie(Jonah Bobo) is smitten by Jessica who is four years older to him. Jessica is not interested in Robbie and is secretly in love with Carl.
Jacob gives Carl a makeover and teaches him the moves to attract women. Although lacking confidence, Carl seduces a high school teacher named Kate(Marisa Tomei) who is alcoholic and emotionally unstable. But this increases Carl's confidence levels and he meets more women. But, he still longs for Emily. At her work, Emily tries to resist David's charm. At the same time, Jacob meets Hannah(Emma Stone) who makes him fall in love. How the lives of all these people cross each other, creating confusion and the final resolution of issues forms the rest of the story.
Glenn Ficarra and John Requa directs this delightful comedy about a group of people trying to find their perfect match and are either trying to woo them or get them back. The directors sprinkle their story with funny lines which makes us laugh genuinely. The comedy is based on the funny situations created by the various characters.
Steve Carrell stands out as the good guy without any charm. He has done this roles many times in the past. Still, he gets the audience hooked. Julianne Moore has nothing much to do. Emma Stone and Marisa Tomei stands out. So does Jonah Bobo.
This is recommended. But, keep the kids away.
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Rating: ***
A movie i would definitely love to watch.Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeletenow i'll have to convince my friends for this movie ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
recommended!hmm must catch this one then. realized through your narration that Julianne didnt have much to do in the film. that's sad. i kind of liked her after "Nine Months" with Hugh Grant.
ReplyDeleteMarisa is typecast in such roles - same thing in 'What Women Want' with Mel Gibson.
@Kavita - :)
ReplyDelete@Madhulika - Good luck in convincing your friends.
@Sujatha- Julianne is the hot girl and Marisa is the drunken girl. Julianne doesn't have much to do. Marisa has a smaller role but she is good. She can handle comedy well. That is why she lands up in such roles.
I must watch this.. Thankyou for the review
ReplyDelete@Dr Rekha - Thanks for dropping by. Yes, this is a good watch sans the kids.
ReplyDelete