Like Crazy [2011]

A bittersweet love story is always a risky move, especially in Hollywood. All the more reason to see “Like Crazy”, which is anything but formulaic. At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the movie captured top jury honors and a Best Actress prize for newcomer Felicity Jones. Not yet convinced? Wait till you see Anton Yelchin (“The Beaver”, “Fright Night”) who’s excellent as Jacob, an L.A. college senior who falls hard for Anna (Jones), a London exchange student. The problem? After graduating from school, she’s forced to return to her native England, while Jacob establishes a business in Los Angeles. Over the course of 7 years, we follow their ups and downs. She hooks up with Simon (Charlie Bewley); he grows close to Samantha (Jennifer Lawrence). And yet they can’t seem to let go. If they’re in love, why should they? Both actors are a marvel to watch. They give life to the characters they’re playing, as we watch them suffer through the anguish of physical separation and emotional distance. The story pulls you in deep, and the final scene will hit you like a ton of bricks. It’s the bitterness of it all that makes “Like Crazy” so compelling, and might I add, so refreshing. No wonder it won the Grand Jury prize. Director Drake Doremus gives us a more realistic story than anything else I’ve seen this year. He’s already working on his next feature. I, for one, cannot wait to see it.

Rating: 3/4