Probably better to watch the paint dry
Lover: Taken from IMDB
“What's not to love about Larry Crowne? I almost didn't bother because of the not so flattering trailer and the mediocre reviews, but when I finally got the chance to sit back and watch Larry Crowne I found myself engaged in it, laughed out loud at least eight times, cared about the characters, really felt good about how refreshing it was to see a good natured film for once instead of a bunch of nasty sex and violence, was in awe of the acting and screen writing, really, really cared about not exactly Larry Crowne the character but the film as a whole. Yeah, it seemed like a big budget all star version of the TV show Community, but so what? It's entertaining as hell.”
What’s not to love about Larry Crowne indeed, The again what’s not to hate about it either? The film is so uneventful and full of “meh” characters that it’s hard to think anything of it. I would also say 8 LOL’s is not a good sign of a film.
Hater: Taken from IMDB
“How's it possible to team up two of Hollywood's biggest stars, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts and come out with a really lousy movie? Beats me but Universal Pictures, Vendome Pictures and Playtone Productions certainly did. The storyline was pathetic and Hanks annoyed the living hell out of me chugging around on a quasi-moped to save gas money while wearing a crash helmet and maintaining throughout the movie a squinty grimace that indicated his jockey shorts could have been two sizes two small. Julia Roberts's acting indicated she never wanted to be in the film to begin with. After subjecting myself to this picture, equivalent to self-flagellation, I regret that Hanks ever got home from being a "Castaway."”
A good review however I can’t think how they were surprised, I mean Julia Roberts was coming off the back of “Eat, Prey, Love” and Tom Hanks is not as box office proof as people might think. Tom Hanks does have quite a strained look almost the whole way through the film and Julia Roberts is phoning this one in.
What I thought:
I read somewhere that this was a light hearted comedy that’s main theme is the effect of the recession and the current economic turmoil in America. Well if that’s true everyone just needs to go back to school take a pointless class with economics and buy a moped. Do all of this and you’ll be like Larry Crowne a man so likable you hate, as the younger students make him up to look more hip you feel sorry for them. Of course Larry Crowne is played by Tom Hanks, played by any one else and this would have been a worse then nothing movie. With Tom Hanks doing his best everyman it’s impossible to not feel a bit sorry for him.
However as the film goes on and nothing ever feels that bad for our hero you get a bit tired, nothing really happens to him apart from losing his job which apart from some morose looks away from camera seem like water of a ducks back. It doesn’t help the female lead is not just not likeable but hardly even there, you can see what they were going for, hard nosed bitter woman in a bad marriage (with Malcom in the Middles Dad!) takes out life and all other problems on her struggling students. Julia Roberts plays it well enough but that’s just it she’s functional nothing huge pulling the story forward.
That’s all this film is a functional film about a guy having to go back to college to earn himself a new job and a new life. It’s funniest moments you can count on one hand , it’s heartfelt scenes are more likely to bring forth groans rather than tears and by the end you’ll be saying “oh did it finish?” neither knowing or indeed caring whether you liked the film or not.
