LIKE CRAZY (2011)

Like Crazy is a film I was really looking forward to. Yes, I said to myself, it's another romance about long-distance relationships, but there was something about the trailer that seemed soulful to me. Soulful is indeed an apt word for Like Crazy but that is the extent of the positive adjectives I can use to describe it. Alright, I'll add 'beautifully photographed'. But if we're adding adjectives (or adverbs), I'm also going to have to tack on 'unrealistic,' 'tedious' and 'irritating.'

It's a loving and tender connection they have for each other, a connection that is strained the more they continue to fight with Immigration. This is where 'unrealistic' comes in. 'Soulful' describes the relationship that forms between Anna, a Brit, and Jacob, an American, two students attending college in Los Angeles. After graduation, Anna is required to go back to England, but, on a whim, stays longer than her visa allows. After that, she's denied entry into the US and Jacob and Anna's across-the pond-relationship is tested to its limits. It's a loving and tender connection they have for each other, a connection that is strained the more they continue to fight with Immigration. This is where 'unrealistic' comes in. The fact that two people in their early 20s think they can hold a relationship together, especially when, as the other person is out of sight they seem to also be out of mind, just doesn't cut it with me. Anna and Jacob are constantly getting involved with other people. Their relationship is a continual back and forth between, 'let's make it work' and 'let's move on'. This is when the film becomes tedious for me; the couple's wishy-washiness is what makes it so irritating. Like Crazy is beautifully filmed, which kept me watching ... that, and the performances given by Felicity Jones as Anna and Anton Yelchin as Jacob. Actually, all the actors are quite good, especially Anna's parents, played by Alex Kingston and Oliver Muirhead. They portray understanding, funny people who are loving and encouraging parents, and I ended up feeling sorry for them for having such an addle-headed daughter. I also felt extremely sorry for the two people who were always the interims in Anna and Jacob's lives. They seemed to be willing to be cast aside at a moment's notice. All in all, Like Crazy was a disappointment. Maybe it's just me; perhaps it would appeal to young lovers. I suppose life has made me too practical to put up with such silliness. After all, there's a difference between being crazy in love, and being simply crazy. You decide which one applies in this case.

Movie reviewed by Georgina Young-Ellis

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