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- Dan Klores' CRAZY LOVE tells the astonishing story of the obsessive roller-coaster relationship of Burt and Linda Pugach, which shocked the nation during the summer of 1959. Burt, a 32 year-old married attorney and Linda, a beautiful, single 20 year-old girl living in the Bronx had a whirlwind romance, which culminated in a violent and psychologically complex set of actions that landed the pair's
But it's the interplay between the characters, the true humanness of their emotions--long missing from many contemporary "romantic comedies"--that set Crazy, Stupid, Love in a class of its own. Moore is more than just the weary, accusatory neglected wife--someone who's never stopped believing in the spark of love. Gosling could easily be his generation's Cary Grant--assured, quick-witted, sly, yet vulnerable. Carell once again shows his dramatic capabil! ities on top of his impeccable comic timing. And Stone is a revelation, lovely, delicate, vulnerable but strong. Crazy, Stupid, Love will reaffirm the viewer's belief in all that's possible. Call us crazy. --A.T. HurleySteve Carell and Ryan Gosling lead an all-star cast in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Fortysomething straight-laced Cal Weaver (Carell) is living the dreamâ€"good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart, Emily (Julianne Moore). So when Cal learns that his wife has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his “perfect†life quickly unravels. Cal, who hasn't dated in decades, stands out as the epitome of un-smooth so handsome player Jacob Palmer (Gosling) takes him on as wingman and protégé, opening Cal’s eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style. Despite Cal's makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that can’t be made over is his heart, which seems to keep lead! ing Cal back to where he began. Brimming with inspired perform! ances, c ritics are calling this gem of a romantic comedy “a movie that understands love†(Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly). Crazy, Stupid, Love is a romantic comedy with a big heart--a refreshing change from its Hangover-laden compatriots, and almost a throwback to a golden era of romance. For Crazy, Stupid, Love relies on the sharp writing by Dan Fogelman (animated hits like Bolt, Tangled) and the sparkly chemistry of its cast, led by Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and the emerging superstar Emma Stone. It's not that the plot is ground-breaking--maybe, in fact, the appeal of Crazy, Stupid, Love is that it's all too relatable. Cal (Carell) is long married to Emily (Moore), until one day she drops divorce on him, out of the blue. Stunned, Cal tries to reassemble his life as a woefully unprepared single guy. Enter Jacob (Gosling, who's never been better) as a happy bachelor whose tips for Cal will be ones that eve! n the most happily wed female viewers will secretly want their mates to hear. Marisa Tomei has a hilarious turn as a temptress who's way out of Cal's league. And Stone is the fresh-faced, fearless young woman who shakes the confident Jacob's supposedly solid world view.
But it's the interplay between the characters, the true humanness of their emotions--long missing from many contemporary "romantic comedies"--that set Crazy, Stupid, Love in a class of its own. Moore is more than just the weary, accusatory neglected wife--someone who's never stopped believing in the spark of love. Gosling could easily be his generation's Cary Grant--assured, quick-witted, sly, yet vulnerable. Carell once again shows his dramatic capabilities on top of his impeccable comic timing. And Stone is a revelation, lovely, delicate, vulnerable but strong. Crazy, Stupid, Love will reaffirm the viewer's belief in all that's possible. Call us crazy. --A.T. HurleySteve Carell and ! Ryan Gosling lead an all-star cast in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Fort ysomething straight-laced Cal Weaver (Carell) is living the dreamâ€"good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart, Emily (Julianne Moore). So when Cal learns that his wife has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his “perfect†life quickly unravels. Cal, who hasn't dated in decades, stands out as the epitome of un-smooth so handsome player Jacob Palmer (Gosling) takes him on as wingman and protégé, opening Cal’s eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style. Despite Cal's makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that can’t be made over is his heart, which seems to keep leading Cal back to where he began. Brimming with inspired performances, critics are calling this gem of a romantic comedy “a movie that understands love†(Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly). Crazy, Stupid, Love is a romantic comedy with a big heart--a refreshing change from its Hangover-laden c! ompatriots, and almost a throwback to a golden era of romance. For Crazy, Stupid, Love relies on the sharp writing by Dan Fogelman (animated hits like Bolt, Tangled) and the sparkly chemistry of its cast, led by Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and the emerging superstar Emma Stone. It's not that the plot is ground-breaking--maybe, in fact, the appeal of Crazy, Stupid, Love is that it's all too relatable. Cal (Carell) is long married to Emily (Moore), until one day she drops divorce on him, out of the blue. Stunned, Cal tries to reassemble his life as a woefully unprepared single guy. Enter Jacob (Gosling, who's never been better) as a happy bachelor whose tips for Cal will be ones that even the most happily wed female viewers will secretly want their mates to hear. Marisa Tomei has a hilarious turn as a temptress who's way out of Cal's league. And Stone is the fresh-faced, fearless young woman who shakes the confident Jacob's supposed! ly solid world view.
But it's the interplay between the cha! racters, the true humanness of their emotions--long missing from many contemporary "romantic comedies"--that set Crazy, Stupid, Love in a class of its own. Moore is more than just the weary, accusatory neglected wife--someone who's never stopped believing in the spark of love. Gosling could easily be his generation's Cary Grant--assured, quick-witted, sly, yet vulnerable. Carell once again shows his dramatic capabilities on top of his impeccable comic timing. And Stone is a revelation, lovely, delicate, vulnerable but strong. Crazy, Stupid, Love will reaffirm the viewer's belief in all that's possible. Call us crazy. --A.T. HurleyDan Klores' CRAZY LOVE tells the astonishing story of the obsessive roller-coaster relationship of Burt and Linda Pugach, which shocked the nation during the summer of 1959. Burt, a 32 year-old married attorney and Linda, a beautiful, single 20 year-old girl living in the Bronx had a whirlwind romance, which culminated in a violent and ! psychologically complex set of actions that landed the pair's saga on the cover of endless newspapers and magazines.
With the cooperation of the principles, Burt, now 79, and Linda, 68, Klores examines the human psyche and the concepts of love, obsession, insanity, hope and forgiveness. CRAZY LOVE recently had its world premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and earned the Best Documentary award at the 2007 Santa Barbara Film Festival.If it were a novel, the story of Burt Pugach and Linda Riss would be rejected as ludicrous: When Pugach discovered that Riss was engaged to marry another man, he hired thugs to throw lye in her face, blinding her. But after almost two decades in prison, Pugach emerged as obsessively in love with Riss as ever and continued to woo her--successfully. This flabbergasting true story is slowly unveiled, thanks to marvelously adroit editing, through interviews with Pugach, Riss, many of their friends, and various media figures like J! immy Breslin, who followed the twists and turns of this saga a! s it pla yed out in the courts and the papers. The key to the movie, though, is not the plot so much as the characters: Not only are Pugach and Riss a fascinating psychological study, all of their friends are standout personalities as well, each with their own take on what happened. The big events are bizarre enough, but it's the strange small twists--just how Pugach and Riss were brought back together, for example--that push the story into the realm of tabloid surrealism. (One detail that doesn't give much away: Prior to meeting Riss, Pugach co-produced a movie called Death Over My Shoulder.) Skillful use of historical footage keeps the movie from just being a series of talking heads and provides period texture. Crazy Love is yet more evidence that we are living in a golden era of wildly entertaining and engaging documentaries. --Bret Fetzer
