(especially with Sandra Bullock in The Proposal.) Ryan Phillippe was cute before he cheated on Reese, and the hardest working man in showbiz, Ryan Seacrest, deserves some props.But after seeing Crazy, Stupid Love last weekend and then Drive today (squeezed in a matinee before the kids got off the bus- don't judge), I have to say that my heart belongs to Ryan Gosling. He has the best swagger ever in Crazy Stupid Love and the best smoldering loner look in Drive.
Enough of my school girl crush: a quick movie review for those looking for some entertainment advice. At this point, you will probably have to catch Crazy, Stupid Love on DVD when it comes out, but I truly feel like this is a DO NOT MISS romantic comedy, from someone who doesn't even like rom com's. I don't like them usually because they are schmalzty and predictable, with actors who may or may not have actual chemistry. Phil (who missed his calling as a casting director) claims that there is a wheel in Hollywood that 10 actors and 10 actresses are on at any given time and when a romantic comedy script presents itself, the wheel is spun and voila! Katherine Heigl and...Josh Duhamel! Kate Hudson spins and gets...Matthew McConaughey! There are those that have fallen off the wheel due to age (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) but others are still on it after many many years of Rom Coms (Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock.) It's always exciting when a fresh new talent makes the wheel (Emma Stone)...And yet again, I digress.
Crazy Stupid Love is about a middle-aged man who is our new everyman ala Tom Hanks, Steve Carrell. He married the beautiful Julianne Moore, his high school sweetheart, but somewhere along the way, he lost the love spark. The movie opens to a scene where they are having dinner and while he declares he wants the Creme Brulee, she says she wants a divorce. Steve starts drinking his sorrows at a bar, and is observed by the uber-cool Ryan Gosling, a young 20 something who says he wants to help him. Steve Carrell loses his New Balance tennis shoes and buys some cool jeans ("Repeat after me...I am cooler than The Gap.") He learns to pick up women from his hot young friend and hilarity ensues. I won't give the rest of the flick away, but there are a few fun twists and though the happy ending was inevitable, it was also rewarding.
Drive was a darling at Cannes, winning the Best Director award. Perhaps I'm biased from his sexy smirk, but Ryan Gosling made this film. He gets a lot of comparisons to Steve McQueen, who was a little bit before my time, but I do know he was the definition of cool. This one looks to be on the surface an action film but it much more rounded than that. It was edge-of-my-seat thriller at times and also an understated drama. We don't know much about Ryan's character (we never even heard his name- he was called The Kid and Driver a few times) but he was still quite deep. The scenes between Ryan and Carey Mulligan (loved her in An Education) were filled with a palpable chemistry and such a sweetness. The only drawback (for me) was the EXTREME violence, which was so shocking and gruesome that I had to look away at least 3 times. The movie evokes a lot of feelings and a lot of adreniline.
CSL is more of chick-flick, though husbands will enjoy it. Drive is more of a guy flick, though wives will enjoy it. And if you haven't gotten enough Gosling from those two, rent Blue Valentine. Not the happiest movie about love and marriage, but two great performances from Michelle Williams and my boyfriend. And to think...he's Canadian?!?
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