Larry Crowne

Starring: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Cedric the Entertainer, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Taraji P. Henson, Bryan Cranston, Wilmer Valderrama, Rita Wilson, Pam Grier, Rob Riggle, George Takei
Directed by: Tom Hanks
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After being laid off from his job, Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) enrolls in community college. There, he falls in love with his public speaking teacher (Julia Roberts).

Review:

Tim: Larry Crowne was the first new live action Tom Hanks movie in 2 years, and the first movie he's directed in 15 years. You have no idea how excited I was for this movie. Unfortunately, the quality of this film isn't great. The movie features so many terrific moments- but they are fleeting, and not well connected. The movie had so many flashes of brilliance, but they disappear as quickly as they come. Yes, this is a decent movie, but I expected (and wanted) more.

The film unfortunately just feels too lightweight. It tries to position itself as a social commentary on the horrible economic times of the last few years, and how good people are struggling to cope in them. I love the timely set up for the film, but it misses the mark. Larry Crowne is just too sugary sweet and perfect for us to truly relate to him as a fellow sufferer in trying economic times. His salvation comes too easy and effortlessly (people literally walk into his life and offer to help him). It felt a bit disingenuous. It would be nice if everyone who lost a job in the recession had as easy a time rebounding as Larry Crowne. The reality is much harsher.

Larry Crowne is actually a pretty fascinating character in his own right. Some of that comes from the script (written by Hanks, too), but most of that comes from Hanks' performance. The guy is a superb actor, and that shows here. I love that Larry is an organized, energetic go-getter. However, it's not until he loses his job that we really start to find out more about his character. The Navy history, his willingness to throw himself into new positions and try new things, to effortlessly make friends- none of it feels particularly realistic, but it's entertaining in a very Hollywood way.

I also like the casting of Julia Roberts. Some people complained about the chemistry between them, but I like Roberts and was glad to see her have some serious screen time with Hanks. I thought they worked well together. Cedric the Entertainer isn't especially entertaining, but I liked him. Gugu Mbatha-Raw was a scene-stealer and one of the stronger aspects of the film. Wilmer Valderrama has more funny scenes than I would have expected. His comedic timing was definitely on here. I loved seeing Rita Wilson and Pam Grier, but neither adds a great deal. The cast is full of entrertaining, funny characters, but few feel fully fleshed out.

I like that Larry Crowne is really a movie about one man's transformation. Out of the ashes of a very difficult situation, he creates a new life for himself. There's certainly lessons for all of us to learn from this movie and its main character. However, as a movie, it ultimately disappoints. This is a movie about a transformation, but one not rooted in reality. This is Hollywood's idea of how people turn tragedy into success. I felt the movie was disconnected too much from real life. Through the prism of Hollywood we get this story. That's fine, but the best movies don't reflect Hollywood- they reflect our real lives. Larry Crowne fails in that aspect, and so, I can only give it a decent rating. I hoped for much more.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Terminal, Charlie Wilson's War, You've Got Mail