Delayed Reaction: Like Crazy

Premise: A couple are forced to be an ocean apart for years after one of them overstays their student visa.

 

I first saw this movie shortly before I started this blog. There are a lot of 2011 movies that I wish I would've had a blog for. That was unofficially the year I allowed myself to dive head first into loving and following movies. I was really into movies before that, but that year had a special mix of going to the theater more often, really following the Oscar race, and understanding that I no longer had homework which left me a lot of free time that really got me going. Also, it was just a great year for movies.

 

Because of the ending, Like, Crazy is one of the movies that stuck with me the most from that year. It was my introduction to Felicity Jones, so I would always look at it as a special movie. It's still a shame she couldn't sneak into that year's Best Actress field. With the death of Anton Yelchin and the meteoric rise of Jennifer Lawrence after this, the movie has only gotten more intriguing over time. It was time for me to finally check it out again.

 

It's pretty much the movie I remembered. Jones and Yelchin are really good in it. I still have some trouble with the decision that sets off the whole thing. Sure, I wouldn't think overstaying her visa would cause such a bureaucratic mess but I'm also not surprised by it. This issue was completely avoidable. Even when I was 24 and directly in their age demographic, I thought it was a stupid decision. I have even less sympathy for it now in my 30s. Looking past that though, I like the storytelling for the years that follow. This isn't being presented as a love for the ages. Instead, it's a love that neither of them can shake. The artificial barrier between them makes it harder for them to let go, even as it seems like they should. As they grow apart in the movie, they can always convince themselves that her visa situation is actually to blame rather than admit they are different people now. So, by the end of the movie, they are finally together and for the first time, face the question of if that was the only thing keeping them apart all this time.

 

I will say, I was surprised this time, because I found the ending more hopeful than I did the first time. The first time, I read it as a complete Job Bluth, "I've made a horrible mistake" moment. I read it as them both realizing that they were apart for too long, and without the romantic idea of their governments being the only thing keeping them apart, they stop and realize for the first time that maybe the relationship had run its course. This time though, I wasn't so sure the relationship couldn't last. The shell-shocked look on their faces in the shower wasn't necessarily them realizing they'd made a huge mistake. It really could just be shock. It's odd being out of someone's life then coming back into it. I remember when I first came back home from college, I felt completely out of place. It took a long time to feel like I was part of that life again. Jones and Yelchin might be alright. They just have to get used to no longer being visitors in each others' lives. I like that I have this more optimistic read of the movie now. Maybe one day I'll even be romantic enough to believe the decision that caused all this wasn't bone-headed.

 

Verdict: Strongly Recommend