Steve Carell takes a nice turn as a foundering newly separated man. The relationships in this film are all funny and dramatic and complex but none is more fun than watching Ryan Gosling try to share the tricks of his trade on being a ‘real man’.
I missed the Gosling boat until now but he does a wonderful job being a shallow womanizer, without much malice. Giving tough love to his new protégé works. Even if it’s not so much the clothes that turn him around we don’t mind the makeover.
The movie is wise to give additional weight to the love in the ensemble cast; the all around stupid and crazy is entertaining. Julianne Moore has a tough task making the wife identifiable but the characters not being two dimensional is what works. Emma Stone is always likable, and Jonah Bobo does a lovely turn as youngest in love, with amusing supporting roles by Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon.
One must, as with most movies, forgive some serendipitous indulgences, at the end of the day it was quite a good ride.
Noteworthy dvd releases 8/2:
- Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost – I enjoy these made for tv adaptations of the Robert Parker series though I don’t know that I’d go out of my way to rent them.
- Rio – Animated bird movie, pass.
- Soul Surfer – I hate the idea of a shark attack in the ocean and not a huge inspirational story fan so for me this is a pass.
- Eastbound & Down (S2) – Haven’t checked this series out, not supposed to be bad, just cable and not all that interested.
- United States of Tara (S3) – Caught a couple of these multiple personalities and although it’s now canceled might be worth a look.
