Like Crazy: romance, pure and not so simple

If you’re looking for a pure romance, this long distance love story is unadulterated by the irony and gross-out humor so prevalent today.  The girl and guy don’t meet cute.  She has a crush and acts on it; he falls for her.  They are separated by her unwise impulse to overstay her student visa.  Now the romance is complicated – as real life relationships are.  The ending is not contrived, and provokes questions about the pair’s future.

In tracing the initial falling-love-love, writer-director Drake Doremus rescues the film technique of montage from the schmaltzy chiches produced by lazier filmmakers.

The stars, Felicity Jones and AntonYelchin, are appealing, and I look forward to seeing them again.  As expected, Jennifer Lawrence is very good in a supporting role.

This was a big hit with the audience at Sundance, and I expected that it might became a huge word-of-mouth hit.  It won’t be that successful because, ultimately, it’s a good but not great movie.  Still, it brings some much needed intelligence and authenticity to the genre.