Stuck in Love (B or 3/4 stars)
I didn't expect much from 'Stuck in Love' (written & directed by 34 yr. old newcomer Josh Boone) going into it, but I must say ... aside from some script issues here & there, the film is quite a bit better than I thought it would be. Bill Borgens (Greg Kinnear) is a 40-something yr. old acclaimed author who hasn't been able to write since his beautiful ex-wife Erica (Jennifer Connelly) left him for a younger man 3 yrs. ago. He believes/hopes they will get back together even though it certainly doesn't seem like that could happen. Meanwhile, Bill has Tricia (Kristen Bell), a bouncy blonde neighbor who regularly stops by for 'no strings attached' sex. The sex is torrid, but not satisfying for Bill; and Tricia wants him to start dating again. He tries, but really ... he's more content to just spy on his ex at her house.
Bill is burned-out as a novelist, but his independent, college-aged daughter Samantha (Lily Collins, of Mirror Mirror) has written her 1st book & it looks to be published soon. Samantha is a sexually adventurous young woman who knows what she wants & never wants gets hurt like her dad (no relationships for her, no love, just love-makin'). She has cut herself off from her mother, leaving Erica devastated & depressed. And it is by pure luck that Samantha meets "nice guy" Lou (Logan Lerman, of Perks of Being a Wallflower), a writer/hopeless romantic who will stop at nothing to melt the ice around her heart. And the youngest member of the family is Rusty (Nat Wolff), a nerdish Stephen King super fan. His dad urges him to get out & have some 'life experiences' that he can use towards his fantasy writing. So what does he do? He falls hard for the pretty, but troubled classmate Kate (Liana Liberato); getting his first taste of both love & heartbreak.
'Stuck in Love' is a surprisingly endearing drama about the varying trials & tribulations of love (lost love btwn. husband/wife, parental, young romance, mother/son, fear of commitment). i.e., Bill must deal with the complexities of raising teenagers while also trying to re-connect with his ex-wife, and write something of substance, again. Bill's children learn about love the hard way. Erica struggles with love in her current relationship, as well as with her ex-husband, & strains with her daughter. Another form of love: the bond btwn. the Lou character and his cancer-stricken mother. And through all of this, books/writing proves to be the foundation on which all the emotions of these characters are based. Writing influences their love. And their love influences their writing.
Lily Collins is terrific as Samantha, the rebel 19 yr. old who uses free-spirited promiscuity to shield her heart. Her budding relationship with Logan Lerman's Lou, who represents everything she is trying to avoid, is lovely. Samantha is the film's most interesting character and the casting director did a great job finding someone who looks like she could absolutely be Jennifer Connelly's daughter, haha. Speaking of Jennifer Connelly, she gives one of her best (in a long time) performances as the conflicted ex-wife/rejected mother who doesn't know how to follow her heart. Every single decision she made as an actress in this role felt authentic. Greg Kinnear is great as the cynical, but genuinely good father who we hope will find happiness. Kinnear gains our sympathy, even while appearing a little pathetic in the process. And Nat Wolff is both believable & appealing as that 16/17 yr. old high schooler whose life is temporarily rocked by his relationship with Kate.
As mentioned above, 'Stuck in Love' is not flawless. There are some standard 'dysfunctional family' tropes. Some of the dialogue in this film comes across too "written". There's also a bit too much profanity (for no good reason). But I did like most of the edgy, child-to-parent conversations that occur; much of that felt real. i.e., "everyone's parents are divorced, big f***ing deal, just get over it, dad". The reviews for this film were so-so, but I found this to be an involving, uplifting film that relies on great performances & a literate script. And so, while I had a few issues here & there, and while the outcomes become a bit predictable, the movie gets richer as it goes with intuitive observations about why, how, when, & where we connect as human beings. It's very easy to get stuck in love.
Bill is burned-out as a novelist, but his independent, college-aged daughter Samantha (Lily Collins, of Mirror Mirror) has written her 1st book & it looks to be published soon. Samantha is a sexually adventurous young woman who knows what she wants & never wants gets hurt like her dad (no relationships for her, no love, just love-makin'). She has cut herself off from her mother, leaving Erica devastated & depressed. And it is by pure luck that Samantha meets "nice guy" Lou (Logan Lerman, of Perks of Being a Wallflower), a writer/hopeless romantic who will stop at nothing to melt the ice around her heart. And the youngest member of the family is Rusty (Nat Wolff), a nerdish Stephen King super fan. His dad urges him to get out & have some 'life experiences' that he can use towards his fantasy writing. So what does he do? He falls hard for the pretty, but troubled classmate Kate (Liana Liberato); getting his first taste of both love & heartbreak.
'Stuck in Love' is a surprisingly endearing drama about the varying trials & tribulations of love (lost love btwn. husband/wife, parental, young romance, mother/son, fear of commitment). i.e., Bill must deal with the complexities of raising teenagers while also trying to re-connect with his ex-wife, and write something of substance, again. Bill's children learn about love the hard way. Erica struggles with love in her current relationship, as well as with her ex-husband, & strains with her daughter. Another form of love: the bond btwn. the Lou character and his cancer-stricken mother. And through all of this, books/writing proves to be the foundation on which all the emotions of these characters are based. Writing influences their love. And their love influences their writing.
Lily Collins is terrific as Samantha, the rebel 19 yr. old who uses free-spirited promiscuity to shield her heart. Her budding relationship with Logan Lerman's Lou, who represents everything she is trying to avoid, is lovely. Samantha is the film's most interesting character and the casting director did a great job finding someone who looks like she could absolutely be Jennifer Connelly's daughter, haha. Speaking of Jennifer Connelly, she gives one of her best (in a long time) performances as the conflicted ex-wife/rejected mother who doesn't know how to follow her heart. Every single decision she made as an actress in this role felt authentic. Greg Kinnear is great as the cynical, but genuinely good father who we hope will find happiness. Kinnear gains our sympathy, even while appearing a little pathetic in the process. And Nat Wolff is both believable & appealing as that 16/17 yr. old high schooler whose life is temporarily rocked by his relationship with Kate.
As mentioned above, 'Stuck in Love' is not flawless. There are some standard 'dysfunctional family' tropes. Some of the dialogue in this film comes across too "written". There's also a bit too much profanity (for no good reason). But I did like most of the edgy, child-to-parent conversations that occur; much of that felt real. i.e., "everyone's parents are divorced, big f***ing deal, just get over it, dad". The reviews for this film were so-so, but I found this to be an involving, uplifting film that relies on great performances & a literate script. And so, while I had a few issues here & there, and while the outcomes become a bit predictable, the movie gets richer as it goes with intuitive observations about why, how, when, & where we connect as human beings. It's very easy to get stuck in love.