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During the summer, the biggest box office buzz goes to the big-budget blockbusters—flashy adventures filled with daring superheroes and pretty young starlets whose job is to scream and run and show off some cleavage. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’m all for brainless summer entertainment. But after a steady diet of superheroes and dastardly villains, it’s refreshing to meet a different kind of summer hero.
Larry Crowne tells the story of a happy-go-lucky middle-aged man who suddenly finds himself hitting rock-bottom. Recently divorced, Larry (Tom Hanks) lives for his job at UMart—and he’s good at what he does. But because he served in the Navy instead of going to college, his employers decide that he’s gone as far as he can in the company, and it’s time to let him go.
Following an unsuccessful job hunt, Larry decides to trade in his gas-guzzling SUV for a scooter and enroll in community college, where his new friends give him a new perspective on life—a perspective that he shares with his disillusioned speech professor (Julia Roberts).
If anyone can play a likable everyman, it’s Tom Hanks—and, in this timely rom-com, the writer/director/star tackles a topic that’s all too real for many people and gives it an upbeat and even uplifting twist.
Larry Crowne isn’t the same old outrageous comedy about clueless characters in unlikely situations. And it isn’t a moody romance about impossibly good-looking teenagers falling passionately in love. It’s a grown-up movie about real people facing real issues. It’s simple and sweet (and maybe just a little bit slow), with lovable characters and an easy-going sense of humor. In fact, it’s everything that Will Ferrell’s Everything Must Go should have been. Instead of a heavy drama, it’s a charming story about letting go and moving on—one that’s filled with humor and hope.
Seasoned Hollywood vet (and capable director) Hanks skillfully sets the tone with his character’s laid-back personality. Larry is adorably awkward, but he’s also open and outgoing—the kind of guy that anyone would want to have as a friend. And he’s surrounded by comical characters—from his kooky econ prof, Dr. Matsutani (George Takei), to his dim-witted classmate, Steve Dibiasi (Rami Malek). They’re all eccentric in their own way—but they’re still realistic enough that you’ll know people just like them. Throw in Julia Roberts as a tired professor who’s trying to teach her students to care—despite the fact that she stopped caring long ago—and you’ve got an honest yet pleasantly breezy film.
Of course, if you’re looking for an extreme summer adventure, this isn’t it. Larry Crowne is everything that a big summer release like Michael Bay’s Transformers isn’t. It’s quiet and simple and understated instead of loud and complex and over-the-top. But if you’re ready for a break from robots and superheroes, it’s an enjoyably charming change of pace.
