Like Crazy (2011)

• Reel Worth Rating

  

  Rating: 4.00 / 5.00

  Viewer Rating

  

  (4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
  

   Loading ...
  Movie Info
  • Director:Drake Doremus
  • Genres:Drama, Romance
  • Rating:PG-13
  • Release Date:2011 October 28
  • Screenwriter:Ben York Jones, Drake Doremus
  • Starring:Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence
• 

  Like Crazy (2011)

What Worked?

Love is allowing yourself to change, to get hurt, to drain your strength for someone just to hold their hand. Is love really worth the commitment? Like Crazy follows two love birds, wonderfully played by Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones, from their honeymoon stage through ups and downs, changes of heart and everything in between. Drake Doremus is a director to look out for, proving in Like Crazy that he is a passionate filmmaker, constructing a film that is alive.

The cinematography of the film is simply amazing, especially because it was shot by a consumer camera. The earthy tones paint a picture that you can feel. The editing of the film isn’t simply done for unnecessary style, but every editing touch is done to help the audience get inside the characters heads, as well as their hearts. Doremus is truly a director to keep an eye on, as his approach to film, utilizing a short story-like script and lots of improvisation, produces extraordinary results.

Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones both became their characters: Jacob and Anna. Yelchin plays an American student that finds a talent in furniture design, and he meets a British student named Anna destined to be a writer. Yelchin, as Jacob, is an all around nice guy, in the best description of the word. He is fully committed in the relationship, but is one who isn’t immune to human temptations. Anna is a passionate person who is also devoted to Jacob, trying to  find any way possible to be with Adam, despite the problematic situation with her visa, preventing her from moving to U.S. with Yelchin. The chemistry between both is so evident that you believe they have been together for years, and that “love conquers all” may not be a fairy tale (at least for a second); however, they are also fully developed characters in that they are far from Disney princes and princesses.

Like Crazy leaves us thinking about relationships we put ourselves in. Are we different people every time we fall in and out of love? Do we shed the person we used to be every time we discover love? The film thoughtfully answers these questions in its silent moments.

Potential Drawbacks:

Some may become angry with some of the choices the characters make, thinking that the relationship is too complicated to even invest in as a viewer at a certain point. Those that do not enjoy films that strive to grasp something real about love might not like the approach or style of this film.

The plot of the film isn’t anything new, and has been done before, which might bother some, but the approach and feel of the film is very refreshing.

Film Recommendations: