In January, at the 27th annual Sundance Film Festival, writer-director Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy won, out of nowhere, the festival’s Grand Jury Prize for drama. At long last, the highly-anticipated film was released across the country in late October. The Thanksgiving break finally provided an opportunity to see Like Crazy, and without a doubt, the wait was well worth it.
Like Crazy stars Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog, Charlie Bartlett) and Felicity Jones (Brideshead Revisited), and it features Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) in a supporting role.
Jacob (Yelchin) and Anna (Jones), a British student abroad, are studying at a university in Los Angeles. After finally mustering up the courage to act on the longtime crush she has had on Jacob, Anna places a handwritten note on his windshield after class. From there, the couple begins dating and, very quickly, fall rapturously in love with one another. The sequence of scenes concerning the early stages of their relationship is remarkable, as Doremus removes dialogue and allows his actors to convince the viewers of their love with some of the most realistic and believable scenes of affection I’ve seen on screen. In particular, the scenes of Jacob and Anna walking hand-in-hand, smiling on a Southern California beach are especially moving.
As the semester comes to an end and summer looms, Anna is confronted with a dilemma – at this point she is head-over-heels in love with Jacob, as is he with Anna, but her student visa is set to expire. Rather than confront three long months away from Jacob, Anna boldly opts to stay in California, thus violating her visa. She eventually returns home to the UK to visit her parents and then attempts to reenter the U.S. only to be denied entry. The scene that follows, one of Jacob frantically running around LAX, bouquet in hand, seeking the help of anyone and everyone, is heartbreaking.
So begins a long separation for Jacob and Anna, interrupted only by Jacob’s brief visits to London. The distance between the couple is devastating and tragic, for the effects lead to dalliances with others, including Jacob’s multiple flings with Sam (Lawrence, in a wonderful supporting role).
To say any more about the plot would only spoil the movie’s many twists, turns and surprises. Undoubtedly, Like Crazy is an extremely well-made film. Carried by its two leads, particularly Jones – who should deservedly garner some Oscar buzz for her breakout performance – and its free-flowing, improvised script, it is a film both delightful and heartbreaking, light-hearted and powerful.
In a way, it is reminiscent of Blue Valentine, last year’s biggest Oscar snub, albeit without the big-name actors and backing from the almighty Weinstein Company. In similar ways, both films depict the ups and downs of relationships. Yet where Blue Valentine was sometimes almost painful to watch (the scenes in the space themed motel room come to mind), Like Crazy does not go for the overdramatic and instead remains on a level that a viewer can believe. Its message is simple: love is thrilling and is at once the best and worst thing imaginable.
Overall, ‘Like Crazy’ is a superb film, featuring some of the best performances of the year by Yelchin and Jones. The relationship between the couple is palpably real, and the movie, at times, transcends entertainment to the point where a viewer would readily accept the notion of a relationship between Yelchin and Jones in real life. A film certainly not to be missed, expect ‘Like Crazy’ to be in the hunt for trophies this awards season. Grade: A-
