The Last Movie I Saw: Like Crazy

Like Crazy opened yesterday and as it is a smaller movie, I felt like I needed to tell some of you about it, because as you are about to read, I really liked it.

The film begins with an American boy, Jacob (Anton Yelchin), and a British girl, Anna (Felicity Jones, who I have watched and re-watched several times in the most recent adaptation of Northanger Abbey), falling in love. Anybody who has ever seen a movie knows that if we start with people falling in love, they are bound to run into some bumps in the road. Like Crazy is no different. Anna overstays her student visa to remain with Jacob in Los Angeles after they graduate, but is eventually found out and forced to return to London. Now they must learn how to handle being constantly drawn to each other while being thousands of miles apart, and as the film progresses that distance becomes more than just physical.

In interviews, director Drake Doremus has said that much of the dialogue in the film is improvised. The actors were simply given an outline of what needed to happen in the given scene. The result of this was me cringing throughout a good chunk of the movie because everything feels agonizingly real. Recently, I wrote a post on wanting to live in a Nora Ephron movie because I was amazed at how she was able to make her characters seem so naturally eloquent and witty. As I was watching the new film Like Crazy last night, I came to the realization that as much as I want to be in a Nora Ephron movie, it is the world of Like Crazy in which we actually live. And I am intending that as praise. When Anna and Jacob argue, it is a real argument of sputtering and not knowing how to state your case. When they go on their first date, it is awkward but sweet. This is no Hollywood romance, but a real, honest-to-goodness romance, with all the red-faced crying that usually comes with it.

Felicity Jones is getting a lot of praise for her performance in this film, but I will extend my praise to Yelchin, as well. As both characters go through this hurricane of emotions, you can see every single one written all over their faces as clear as day.

With all that said, I suppose this long-winded review could be summed up like this: Like Crazy is one of the most honest movies I have ever seen and I think you should see it, too.

An Ode to Nora Ephron

I wish my life were a Nora Ephron movie.

If Nora Ephron wrote my life, the human race would only include people who are smart and speak in the most eloquent and well executed of sentences. Even the most menial of conversations would be witty and urbane. Best of all, we would find ways to relate the plots of films and books to all of life’s problems. When I would try to argue a point, I would know exactly what to say and how to say it. Every barb would be cutting and to the point. Accompanying every stroll through the park or lunchtime in the flower market would be a tune by Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong. You know, something classy and sophisticated. Like what you would hear in a Starbucks or bookstore.

Every season would be romantic.

But the best part of all would be falling in love. Falling in love in my new Nora Ephron world would be the best falling in love ever. Love conquers distance, awkward hook-ups, and dreadful first impressions. Men aspire to be Cary Grant. Yeah, the straight ones, too! When they cite reasons for why they fell in love with you, they list things like the crinkle on your forehead or how you peel apples. They usually cite these reasons in a sweet, comical, and perfectly executed speech given when you are least expecting it.

In Sleepless in Seattle, Meg Ryan’s character gets accused of wanting to be in love in a movie. But who wouldn’t? As long as it is written by Nora Ephron.

(Can you tell I had a day in watching When Harry Met Sally…, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail?)

Don't watch the video below unless you have already seen When Harry Met Sally... And if you haven't, I suggest watching it pronto.