LIKE CRAZY (N/A)
Release Date: Not released
Running Time: 89 minutes
Distributor: Paramount Vintage
Director: Drake Doremus
Screenplay: Drake Doremus, Ben Yorke Jones
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead
Plot: A love story is both a physical and emotional tale, one that can be deeply personal and heartbreaking for an audience to experience. Director Drake Doremus' film Like Crazy beautifully illustrates how your first real love is as thrilling and blissful as it is devastating. When a British college student (Felicity Jones) falls for her American classmate (Anton Yelchin) they embark on a passionate and life-changing journey only to be separated when she violates the terms of her visa. Like Crazy explores how a couple faces the real challenges of being together and of being apart. REVIEWS AFTER THE JUMP
Review: Last year’s Sundance winner for best dramatic feature, ‘Like Crazy’ represents an unconventional romantic tale that tests the passion and love relationship between two individuals separated by the Atlantic. It’s a love story that has all its attraction in both physical and mentality constraints in this movie that could have something for someone to think about. ‘Like Crazy’ is almost felt like a silent movie but still has little charmer on its belt. It supposedly depicts the experience of director Drake Doresmus and his ex-wife, illustrating how painful and awkward situations can be when a couple is thrown into a challenging long distance relationship.
Story-wise, it tells the struggle of been together for a couple. He is Jacob (Anton Yelchin), a furniture design student from Los Angeles who is destined to success in the future. She is Anna (Felicity Jones), a poetic-fused writer from London who arrives as an exchange student. Quickly, their fondling friendship becomes a genuine romantic journey that will send both into a questionable future. It started off when Anna violates her student visa by overstaying in the United States. She returns home to London for a family obligation but when she flies back to Los Angeles as a tourist she is detained and denied entry. Anna is then banned from entering the United States for the violation and threatening their deep love; strained by the distance and frustration of not being able to see each.
The plot is easily a stereotype story that you probably have seen it too much. Another long distance relationship, of course; but what makes it a little distinguished from the rest are some of the points taken. ‘Like Crazy’ possesses the ability to invoke senses and raising questionable human interactions. For two-third of the movie, the plot lingers a lot by creating a painful yet confusing situation that our characters have to choose. I can imagine that the audiences will find themselves embroiled in a similar difficult situation of choosing to move on or not. Yes, the plot may be a little challenging for your test of patience but if you survive it, you will have a genuine and realistic love relationship that is difficult to tend.
Unfortunately, the plot doesn’t sound anyway similar to the nature of the title. While the story keeps on harping on the same stuffs with their on-and-off relationship and indecisive dilemma, one could easily lost their patience but also easily recognize such scenario. Also, the passionate plot isn’t matching well with its title because the movie somehow only explores the characters superficially though it has ample feelings in it.
When the dilemma takes a toll on its story, it is instead left to us as the audience to see the way we would want it to be. There isn’t any strong indication of how much is it that one must say ‘I love you’ or to show their jealousy is enough to measure the deeply genuine relationship as opposed to the distance between the couple. So to say, this movie keeps everything tight under its story line and pretty much relies on the emotional to tell the story, not by words.
Conversely, it is fortunate enough that the movie still works out better than the others because of the acting talents. Then, it also has some of the most fascinating improvised scripts in the recent years. Equally noted that it also has some of the most raw and convincing characters carried on by Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones and Jennifer Lawrence. The three are the latest crop of young actors who gave some of the most genuine feeling into the story without neglecting the absolute connection with the soul of the story. They acted well in particular of Felicity Jones whom I thought is some of her breakthrough performance to remember.
In short, ‘Like Crazy’ is pretty much a stereotype arch about long distance relationship that explores on the repetitive doubts over the supposedly genuine relationship, but it has plenty of characterization and emotions flowing beyond its limited direct dialog.
P/S: This movie is shot entirely with an Canon EOS 7D.
MY RATING:
Story: 3.0
Casts: 4.0
Cinematography: 3.5
Effects: 3.0
GREEN-TEA-O-METER: 13.5/20.0