Delayed Reaction: Stuck in Love

The Pitch: What if Crazy, Stupid Love wasn't funny?

This is a super easy movie for me to like. It has established actors like Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, and Kristen Bell who I all like. There's young actors such as Lily Collins, Logan Lerman, Nat Wolff, and Liana Liberato who I am growing to like. I've got a hopeless romantic streak buried deep inside me that responds well to it. So, I had no trouble watching and enjoying the film.

It sure feels like it was written under the guidance of an "Indie Writers 101" handbook though. Maybe it's just because I saw The Squid and the Whale not that long ago, but it sure feels like there's a lot of stories out there about somewhat washed up literary geniuses and their messed up kids. Collins and Lerman attempt to have an anti-meet-cute, which is one of those self-aware moments of becoming a cliche by trying to break the cliche. I don't recall seeing a single typewriter being used for serious writing, so I do have to give writer/director Josh Boone for resisting that urge.

I have a theory that a lot of screenwriters secretly want to be music critics. That applies to here. Nat Wolff describes Liana Liberato in terms of a Beatles song. Liana tells him that a Bright Eyes album is the "roadmap to [her] soul". The moment when Lily Collins finally falls for Logan Lerman is when they listen to his favorite song in the car. I'll be nice and call that a motif.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend