Like Crazy Reviews

Cute, heartfelt, emotional. Light enough for a date night, short enough to survive the onslaught of feelings.

Anna:  I just have to say one thing and it's really important that you just listen to me. I just... It doesn't feel like this, this thing is gonna go away, it's always there. I can't... I can't get on with my life. 

"I want you. I need you. I love you. I miss you."

Like Crazy is a nice little love story with two solid performances from Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones. Overall the movie was a nice mixture of happiness and sadness. The problem with this movie lies in the pacing and development. A lot of the material feels rushed through, and the movie comes in at what seems like a brisk hour and a half. These problems aren't enough to completely destroy the film, but they are problems that detract from an otherwise well made movie.

Jacob and Anna meet and fall in love, but when Anna overstays her visa; she isn't allowed back into the country. This is a quiet and very emotion fueled film. A lot of the emotion comes from the good performances from Yelchin and Jones. Their performances have a lot of feeling in them and it makes the movies relationship appear impossibly strong. 

The film has that independent feeling all over it. It's shot well and there's some nice, if somewhat gimmicky, editing tricks. I liked the movie for how scenes were shot though. I also really enjoyed how time was passed onscreen. There was no need for words to tell us how long it had been. We were always able to have a good sense of where the relationship was at.

The movie definitely isn't without its problems, but overall it's a worthwhile film. Nothing about it is all that impressive, but nothing about it is bad either. It's a movie that exists to remind everyone about the beauty of falling in love and how one couple copes with not being able to be together. The movie will mean more to those who have had similar relationships, but the beauty should be able to be seen by everyone. Even if that beauty makes 50% of us puke.

Like Crazy is a beautiful film with powerful, emotionally affecting performances from Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin, as well as Jennifer Lawrence. The film's schmaltziness is familiar, and the plot would make it seem like we've seen it all before. There are also some big holes in the plot where things were not explained well at all, which made it confusing and bewildering at times. But the characters are able to truly express themselves here, and we get to know these people. We know who they are beyond dialogue, and it becomes very intimate and involving. If for nothing else, see it for the acting and the intimacy which is often lacking in these sorts of films.

A little too many pregnant pauses filled with subtext. They were cute kids, though

I want you - I need you - I love you - I miss you.

Good movie! I really enjoyed it and although it was a little short for me it really deliver its purpose. This film was obviously made based on real experiences, and the filmmakers admitted that it was the combination of many of their experiences. It's a realistic film. Things aren't easy. You will smile and laugh and other times feel just as much despair as our characters. There are no easy answers in this film, and your ultimate interpretation and perhaps enjoyment of the film depends on what you bring to the table, and your feelings on love, and just how much you believe in it.

Anna and Jacob fall instantly in love when they meet as students at an L.A. university. But Anna is British and when graduation approaches, Anna decides to stay and violate her student visa rather than returning to England. After a visit home, she is then unable to return to the United States. While fighting customs and immigration battles, Anna and Jacob must decide if their relationship is worth the distance and the hardship.

The prevailing thought I kept having while watching the twee indie romance (?) Like Crazy was that this is like stupid. I spend fifteen minutes with the young happy couple, Jacob (Anton Yelchin) and Anna (Felicity Jones), and then there's already trouble. Rather than have to wait two and a half months to see one another again (a.k.a. eternity), Anna decides to overstay her visa because it's not like that would be taken seriously in a post-9/11 world. Naturally, there are repercussions and Anna is banned from reentering the U.S., effectively putting a hitch in her romance. It's such a short-sided, impulsive, boneheaded decision, and it's one that completely made me lose all sympathy for a couple that couldn't bother to be apart for a mere two and a half months. Jacob and Anna try and hold it together but the constant starting and stopping, as well as the comforts of people closer provide major roadblocks. I'm not a hardhearted person; I'm a sucker for a good romance. Many of my favorite movies of the past few years have strong romantic elements (Eternal Sunshine, Once, Moulin Rouge, WALL-E), but I felt next to nothing for this whiny, pitiful couple. First off, they're only together for fifteen minutes before being ripped apart, which doesn't exactly allow me enough time to emotionally engage. And then there's the fact that these "crazy kids" have absolutely no passion between them, no spark, no nothing that would compel them to be together against all odds. You don't feel anything approaching romance. And to top it off, Jacob has a perfectly lovely, charming, and available alternative played by the lovely and charming Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games). She even makes this doofus breakfast in bed. This movie felt like an entire montage of small moments that never accumulated into anything believable or compelling. I'll take Lawrence and breakfast in bed and be grateful.

Nate's Grade: C

Directed (co-written) by Drake Doremus, Paramount Vantage, 2011. Starring Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence and Alex Kingston.

Genre: Drama, Romance.

Question: When was the last time you fell in love? I mean really fell in love? If you can't remember perhaps you should watch Like Crazy and recall that special time when the one person sitting across from you makes you happier than you can possibly imagine. If you haven't fallen in love yet, you should see this movie. It will inspire you to know love is worth it.

I have a favorite word: Always. For me it represents the power of what love can be for us humans. When you are truly in love - you always have a person to be there for you whether it be when you are happy, sad, silly or just existing. When you find true love, you always have the ability to see beyond any struggle. When you meet your soul-mate they don't make you happy, they always make you happier. See where I am going with this? Always equals love for me. When you have true, real love, you find the possibility of greatness beyond measure and that is something that should always keep you looking for that one person...that's just right for you. Like Crazy showed that type of love and it made me smile.

A couple of months ago I posted the preview for Like Crazy and have been counting down the days until it opened. Something about that preview just spoke to me. (Yes, it showed a little too much) So on this misty, sometimes rainy day, I finally saw this film. It ended up being the sweetest, most tender tales of love I have seen on film in ages.

Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones star in this love story as two college seniors who meet towards the end of their academic careers and fall madly in love. It begins with a note from one to the other and soon the possibility begins. It always does. I was mesmerized by the level of realistic passion these two characters felt for each other. When together they fit like perfect puzzle pieces, but when apart they feign happily existing but really long to be to with one another. I found myself getting teary-eyed during the longing scenes. Have you ever missed someone so much that you just don't feel whole without them? That is exactly what these two people felt. It was heartbreaking at parts.

Not a lot happens in this story but it was a lovely one just the same. Two people meet, fall in love, are pulled apart, struggle to move on but can't and eventually they try....wait! I am not going to tell you. All I will talk about Like Crazy now is the acting. It was superb. I really felt that these two were in love because of the ease of it, the sweetness of it and an overwhelming desire, that I think everyone in the theatre probably thought, to feel like them with someone. Who doesn't want to be in love like that?

Do you have that person that always makes you smile just thinking about them?

My favorite thing: So many things, actually, but I suppose I will choose that part of it was filmed in London - my favorite place in the entire world.

My least favorite: I am going to keep this one to myself.

Rating: PG-13
Length: 90 minutes

Review: 8 out of 10

After seeing so many great critic reviews when this movie was in theaters, I expected something really wonderful. I was less than enthralled. The movie jumps around a lot, seems to drag on, and the ending is just plain unsatisfying. The young actors are very good, however. Possibly, the directing style just didn't appeal to me. It did make for wonderful, romantic previews.

Anna (a Brit) and Jacob (American) fall in love during university and move in together. But as Anna overstays her education visa, they are kept apart for long periods by various government regulations. Does their love overcome the obstacles?

(Full review later.)

'Like Crazy' is your typical sad love story with some pretty strong elements and good acting. It packs a good emotional punch and seems to be very honest. The run-time is brisk enough for the film to not get too boring and the script is well written. But you can only watch so many of these movies without witnessing the same filmmaking elements. It is a solid portrayal of a modern relationship, but it never feels entirely original as it progresses.

Cast: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead, Finola Hughes, Chris Messina, Ben York Jones, Jamie Thomas King, Keeley Hazell, Natalie Blair, Edurne Ganem

Director: Drake Doremus

Summary: American Jacob (Anton Yelchin) and British Anna (Felicity Jones) meet and fall madly in love at college in Los Angeles, but must make their relationship work long distance when Anna returns to London. With an ocean between them, their trust is tested, forcing them to confront the idea that their love may be impermanent. Or can it survive against the odds? This romantic drama won the Grand Jury Dramatic prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011.

My Thoughts: "I've said it before, I am not a huge fan of most romantic flicks. I find most of them to be untrue and cheesy. Not the case with this film. It's more human and honest, but still there are moments were it dragged on far too long with empty stares. I found Jacob and Anna most interesting when they weren't together. The relationship just didn't seem like it should work. I liked Jacob more with Sam. I just believed their relationship more then I did his and Anna's. For some of us there is a relationship that comes and you just can't get away from it. That is the case in this film. Wanting someone or something so badly that your blinded by why it didn't work in the first place so you keep repeating yourself. I didn't care for the ending either. So although I found it more honest then most romantic films, I still think it was on the boring side. The acting was great though."

This one reminds me a lot of last year's Ondine (with Colin Farrell). It's ostensibly not about much - just portraying a tangly couple in love that actually treat each other rather crappily while not in view of the counterpart - but what it does it does really, really well. And the fact that these two are torn apart for the rest of their lives on the sheer fact because they can't stay away from each other, like Romeo and Juliet, is a pretty clever premise. Thy cup runneth over. Short and simple.

what a frustrating film. very well acted by its two rising stars, with solid dialogue and a strong romantic vibe, the film turns out to be a love story about two people who dont actually love each other very much as neither is willing to do what it takes to make their relationship actually have meaning. i loved the cast, but the story is essentially told in one montage after another to save running time and to keep us from the more sordid details of just how scandalous these two characters actually are. a decent watch but not a must see.

The romance displays some nice chemistry between Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones as the young couple separated by distance. We learn the minutia of their lives: they share a love for Paul Simon's Graceland album for example. He builds her a handcrafted chair. How touching! Their connection feels honest and the details charmingly complement their sincere love affair. We recognize that they love each other. The problem is there simply aren't sufficient reasons to wish for this relationship to continue given the way their relationship plays out.

This inexplicably won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Granted there's a beauty in the simplicity of plot and emotion that makes this drama so intimate. Unfortunately those innovations don't legitimize the aforementioned accolade. There aren't well-founded reasons to justify why we should care about these two young adults. The immigration laws (which they deliberately broke) keep them physically apart. Once isolated, they seem to find other lovers rather quickly. You'll be asking yourself, maybe these two weren't meant for each other. Like Crazy isn't a classic heartfelt romantic drama for the ages. This is about an everyday relationship. That can get pretty boring.

The trailers make Like Crazy look like a sappy tear jerking love story, and while the film might be tear jerking, it is definitely not sappy. This is a film that understands the pains of a long distance relationship, and emphasizes that sometimes love is so strong that it prevails over reason and practicality.
Director Drake Doremus does a masterful job of giving his actors the freedom to create scenes that feel very gripping and authentic. He moves the story forward through swift and unique editing choices, showing the passage of time in subtle ways that never disrupt the flow of the story.
Anton Yelchin continues his streak of great, film saving performances, but the real star here is Felicity Jones. You can't help but fall in love with her and her character. It is because of her gentle, subdued, yet complex approach that you really connect with the film. Jennifer Lawrence's appearance is brief, but she's too good an actress not to bring a lot to her minor character.
At first, I wouldn't say I liked the film. I disagreed with a lot of the choices and reactions of Yelchin's character, Jacob. I found him unreasonable, short sighted, and more in love with himself than with Anna (Jones). I resented the film for it. But I realized I shouldn't have. The film presents a scenario and characters. These characters act the way they act, and as an audience actively participating in the film, it is our job to discuss and analyze the characters' choices and what we would do in the same circumstances. The fact that this film provoked me to do that means that this film hit a chord with me. I've been in long distance relationships, thus, I responded strongly to Like Crazy. Sometimes the film frustrated me, sometimes it really moved me. It's a lot like the trials that Jacob and Anna face in their long distance relationship that spans years. Like Crazy is a really good film.

The only thing crazy about it is all the hype its been getting. Immature story, craftsmanship, and performance by both leads. Boy meets girl, boy and girl build an entire relationship on bad poetry, juvenile cliche, and blank stares, and inevitable problems ensue. When the story sticks to this unintended skeleton of a narrative, it has some successes, with strong cameos by great British character actors who all seem privy to some inside joke about this sham of a relationship. Whenever it tries to go deeper, we simply lose interest because we don't care about these spoiled lovers and their bizarrely complicated immigration issues -- is the movie promoting globalization? Furthermore, the film seems to forget that most two hour narratives requires a few complicating actions in addition to its inciting incident to keep anyone's attention; they should've just named the customs officer "Godot" with this little thickening of a plot. The true irony lies in the success of its complete dud of a resolution, because walking out of the movie saying "oh ok, I guess it worked out" seems fitting for such a low stakes, I-still-don't-really-believe-you're-soul-mates kind of movie. Slightly charming in a few bright spots, but something tells me seeing a vampire eat a baby out of a womb might more interesting than anything this one provided, and that's really saying something...

"I thought I understood it. But I didn't. I knew the smudgeness of it. The eagerness of it. The Idea of it. Of you and me."

A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the US after overstaying her visa.

REVIEW
Like Crazy is about the craziness of love without a Hollywood spin but with a conventional story that tells it like love is: unadorned, raw, a puzzle, and a disappointment. Director Drake Doremus handed the outline to actors Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin and the rest was an organic script, albeit weaker than ones Brit director Mike Leigh develops with his cast. Although the dialogue is spare and prosaic, the realism is spot on as the young couple struggles most of all with long distance. She is on visa from the UK to study in LA. He meets her at college; she overstays her visa time and is banned from returning to the US until a lengthy process of appeal is followed.

Those who have struggled with that distance demon know how right the artists get the frustrations and changes that plague those who challenge cupid across the pond over too long a time. Although many traditional moviegoers will not like the ending, they can be comforted that it is, alas, only too true. If nothing else, Like Crazy is a textbook study of long distance love that should be a caution before young lovers attempt the navigation.

Drake Doremus' "Like Crazy" is like... so overdramatic. How this came to win the Jury Prize at Cannes, I'll never know. Like Crazy is so unnecessarily dramatic and ridiculous, but I can't say I didn't totally despise it. There are several moments of fantastic filmmaking, but is squandered by some of the plot changes, primarily the ignorance of the two main characters throughout. However, the two leads, Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones are quite good, and have good chemistry, but again, are squandered by some of the overly dramatic tones used. Not in any way deserving of the reward it's been granted, but still an acceptable film.