Like Crazy (2011)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tired of P

  
  Directed (co-written) by Drake Doremus, Paramount Vantage, 2011. Starring Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence and Alex Kingston. Genre: Drama, Romance. Question: When was the last time you fell in love? I mean really fell in love? If you can't remember perhaps… More
  Directed (co-written) by Drake Doremus, Paramount Vantage, 2011. Starring Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence and Alex Kingston. Genre: Drama, Romance. Question: When was the last time you fell in love? I mean really fell in love? If you can't remember perhaps you should watch Like Crazy and recall that special time when the one person sitting across from you makes you happier than you can possibly imagine. If you haven't fallen in love yet, you should see this movie. It will inspire you to know love is worth it. I have a favorite word: Always. For me it represents the power of what love can be for us humans. When you are truly in love - you always have a person to be there for you whether it be when you are happy, sad, silly or just existing. When you find true love, you always have the ability to see beyond any struggle. When you meet your soul-mate they don't make you happy, they always make you happier. See where I am going with this? Always equals love for me. When you have true, real love, you find the possibility of greatness beyond measure and that is something that should always keep you looking for that one person...that's just right for you. Like Crazy showed that type of love and it made me smile. A couple of months ago I posted the preview for Like Crazy and have been counting down the days until it opened. Something about that preview just spoke to me. (Yes, it showed a little too much) So on this misty, sometimes rainy day, I finally saw this film. It ended up being the sweetest, most tender tales of love I have seen on film in ages. Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones star in this love story as two college seniors who meet towards the end of their academic careers and fall madly in love. It begins with a note from one to the other and soon the possibility begins. It always does. I was mesmerized by the level of realistic passion these two characters felt for each other. When together they fit like perfect puzzle pieces, but when apart they feign happily existing but really long to be to with one another. I found myself getting teary-eyed during the longing scenes. Have you ever missed someone so much that you just don't feel whole without them? That is exactly what these two people felt. It was heartbreaking at parts. Not a lot happens in this story but it was a lovely one just the same. Two people meet, fall in love, are pulled apart, struggle to move on but can't and eventually they try....wait! I am not going to tell you. All I will talk about Like Crazy now is the acting. It was superb. I really felt that these two were in love because of the ease of it, the sweetness of it and an overwhelming desire, that I think everyone in the theatre probably thought, to feel like them with someone. Who doesn't want to be in love like that? Do you have that person that always makes you smile just thinking about them? My favorite thing: So many things, actually, but I suppose I will choose that part of it was filmed in London - my favorite place in the entire world. My least favorite: I am going to keep this one to myself. Rating: PG-13 Length: 90 minutes Review: 8 out of 10

• Cynthia S

  
  After seeing so many great critic reviews when this movie was in theaters, I expected something really wonderful. I was less than enthralled. The movie jumps around a lot, seems to drag on, and the ending is just plain unsatisfying. The young actors are very good, however. Possibly,… More
  After seeing so many great critic reviews when this movie was in theaters, I expected something really wonderful. I was less than enthralled. The movie jumps around a lot, seems to drag on, and the ending is just plain unsatisfying. The young actors are very good, however. Possibly, the directing style just didn't appeal to me. It did make for wonderful, romantic previews.

• Red L

  
  Anna (a Brit) and Jacob (American) fall in love during university and move in together. But as Anna overstays her education visa, they are kept apart for long periods by various government regulations. Does their love overcome the obstacles?

• Lewis C

  
  (Full review later.)

• Kase V

  
  'Like Crazy' is your typical sad love story with some pretty strong elements and good acting. It packs a good emotional punch and seems to be very honest. The run-time is brisk enough for the film to not get too boring and the script is well written. But you can only watch… More
  'Like Crazy' is your typical sad love story with some pretty strong elements and good acting. It packs a good emotional punch and seems to be very honest. The run-time is brisk enough for the film to not get too boring and the script is well written. But you can only watch so many of these movies without witnessing the same filmmaking elements. It is a solid portrayal of a modern relationship, but it never feels entirely original as it progresses.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead, Finola Hughes, Chris Messina, Ben York Jones, Jamie Thomas King, Keeley Hazell, Natalie Blair, Edurne Ganem Director: Drake Doremus Summary: American Jacob (Anton Yelchin) and… More
  Cast: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead, Finola Hughes, Chris Messina, Ben York Jones, Jamie Thomas King, Keeley Hazell, Natalie Blair, Edurne Ganem Director: Drake Doremus Summary: American Jacob (Anton Yelchin) and British Anna (Felicity Jones) meet and fall madly in love at college in Los Angeles, but must make their relationship work long distance when Anna returns to London. With an ocean between them, their trust is tested, forcing them to confront the idea that their love may be impermanent. Or can it survive against the odds? This romantic drama won the Grand Jury Dramatic prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011. My Thoughts: "I've said it before, I am not a huge fan of most romantic flicks. I find most of them to be untrue and cheesy. Not the case with this film. It's more human and honest, but still there are moments were it dragged on far too long with empty stares. I found Jacob and Anna most interesting when they weren't together. The relationship just didn't seem like it should work. I liked Jacob more with Sam. I just believed their relationship more then I did his and Anna's. For some of us there is a relationship that comes and you just can't get away from it. That is the case in this film. Wanting someone or something so badly that your blinded by why it didn't work in the first place so you keep repeating yourself. I didn't care for the ending either. So although I found it more honest then most romantic films, I still think it was on the boring side. The acting was great though."

• Jennifer X

  
  This one reminds me a lot of last year's Ondine (with Colin Farrell). It's ostensibly not about much - just portraying a tangly couple in love that actually treat each other rather crappily while not in view of the counterpart - but what it does it does really, really well.… More
  This one reminds me a lot of last year's Ondine (with Colin Farrell). It's ostensibly not about much - just portraying a tangly couple in love that actually treat each other rather crappily while not in view of the counterpart - but what it does it does really, really well. And the fact that these two are torn apart for the rest of their lives on the sheer fact because they can't stay away from each other, like Romeo and Juliet, is a pretty clever premise. Thy cup runneth over. Short and simple.

• danny d

  
  what a frustrating film. very well acted by its two rising stars, with solid dialogue and a strong romantic vibe, the film turns out to be a love story about two people who dont actually love each other very much as neither is willing to do what it takes to make their relationship… More
  what a frustrating film. very well acted by its two rising stars, with solid dialogue and a strong romantic vibe, the film turns out to be a love story about two people who dont actually love each other very much as neither is willing to do what it takes to make their relationship actually have meaning. i loved the cast, but the story is essentially told in one montage after another to save running time and to keep us from the more sordid details of just how scandalous these two characters actually are. a decent watch but not a must see.

• Rubia Carolina .

  
  "Fat Charlie the Archangel Sliped into the room He said I have no opinion about this And I have no opinion about that Sad as a lonely little wrinkled balloon He said well I don't claim to be happy about this, boys And I don't seem to be happy about that"; Jacob… More
  "Fat Charlie the Archangel Sliped into the room He said I have no opinion about this And I have no opinion about that Sad as a lonely little wrinkled balloon He said well I don't claim to be happy about this, boys And I don't seem to be happy about that"; Jacob and Anna meet in college and fall in love. He is a furniture design major and she is a British journalism student in LA. When she is supposed to get back to UK due to her visa expiration, she decides to stay for the summer. Autumn comes and Anna goes back home for a wedding. One week later, in return to USA, immigration officials ban her and send her back to London. Time zones, missed calls, lives that take different roads. Love, pain and the inability to move on. "Fat Charlie the Archangel Files for divorce He says well this will eat up a year of my life And then there's all that weight to be lost She says the joke is on me I say the joke is on her I said I have no opinion about that Well, we'll just have to wait and confer" These lyrics are from "Crazy Love, Vol. II", one of the songs of Paul Simon's album "Graceland" that both Jacob and Anna love. This is the only Paul Simon song in the soundtrack, but even if doesn't have a major significance in the film - I can not remember in which scenes I heard it - reading about it (at songfacts.com), I can see that the song says a lot about Jacob and Anna's relationship. Siimon explains in an interview that one of the reasons of the "Vol. I" in the title is that the song talks about "a love that has started and stopped more than once". Simon also says that the 'Fat Charlie the Archangel" doesn't represent anyone, but my first thought on it is, of course, that the fat Charlie the Archangel represents the cupid. There's a strong symbolism of cupid and fate in Jacob and Anna's relationship: "I don't want no part of this crazy love, I don't want no part of your", but there's nothing they can do about it. While watching "Like Crazy", three movies came to my mind. First, it reminds me of John Stockwell' s Crazy/Beautiful not only because of the title, but mostly because of the images of the couple in LA, at the beach, their intimacy, their photos and Nicole's diary versus Anna's "book". If Anna and Jacob's obstacles are the distance and the laws, to Nicole and Carlos (characters of "Crazy/Beautiful") the obstacles are the cultural conflict and class differences. But that's all; the similarities finish here. I can't put these two films side by side. In the other hand, I see "Like Crazy";, "Blue Valentine" and "Un Amour de Jeunesse" as three views of the same subject: the growth and the decline of love. For lots of people, Jacob and Anna's love is not convincing. I did believe it, but I had the feeling that something was out of place. I read someone saying that they exist as concepts and not as human beings, and, then, everything makes sense. I couldn't say it better. I cried in a few scenes, but I wondered if I did it because of the sad soundtrack or because their love really convinced me. The montages (Jacob and Anna in bed, during the summer, for example) reinforce the idea of the perfect couple/relationship. Add to that the sentimental instrumental songs and the "package"; is complete. What we see is the concept of happiness regarding love - or the concept of happiness in general, once happiness and love are usually seen as related. There's the whole idea of love at first sight, the lovers painfully separated and fighting to be together. However, even if following the structure of fairy tales, the film - intentionally or not - goes against it. Is the loneliness that painful that others (Samantha and Simon) are able to enter into this sacred space? Couldn't love survive the distance and the passage of time? Wouldn't Romeo move to London to be with Juliet without thinking twice? Considering not only "Like Crazy", but also "Blue Valentine", "Un Amour de Jeunesse" and lots of other films, Rilke comes to mind as the best answer/explanation: "It is also good to love: because love is difficult. For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation. That is why young people, who are beginners in everything, are not yet capable of love: it is something they must learn. (...) They are fling themselves at each other when love takes hold of them, they scatter themselves, just as they are, in all their messiness, disorder, bewilderment. . . . And what can happen then? What can life do with this heap of half-broken things that they call their communion and that they would like to call their happiness, if that were possible, and their future?"* *"Letters to a Young Poet" (Letter Seven), by Rainer Maria Rilke.

• Mark H

  
  The romance displays some nice chemistry between Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones as the young couple separated by distance. We learn the minutia of their lives: they share a love for Paul Simon's Graceland album for example. He builds her a handcrafted chair. How touching! Their… More
  The romance displays some nice chemistry between Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones as the young couple separated by distance. We learn the minutia of their lives: they share a love for Paul Simon's Graceland album for example. He builds her a handcrafted chair. How touching! Their connection feels honest and the details charmingly complement their sincere love affair. We recognize that they love each other. The problem is there simply aren't sufficient reasons to wish for this relationship to continue given the way their relationship plays out. This inexplicably won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Granted there's a beauty in the simplicity of plot and emotion that makes this drama so intimate. Unfortunately those innovations don't legitimize the aforementioned accolade. There aren't well-founded reasons to justify why we should care about these two young adults. The immigration laws (which they deliberately broke) keep them physically apart. Once isolated, they seem to find other lovers rather quickly. You'll be asking yourself, maybe these two weren't meant for each other. Like Crazy isn't a classic heartfelt romantic drama for the ages. This is about an everyday relationship. That can get pretty boring.

• E.J. B

  
  The trailers make Like Crazy look like a sappy tear jerking love story, and while the film might be tear jerking, it is definitely not sappy. This is a film that understands the pains of a long distance relationship, and emphasizes that sometimes love is so strong that it prevails… More
  The trailers make Like Crazy look like a sappy tear jerking love story, and while the film might be tear jerking, it is definitely not sappy. This is a film that understands the pains of a long distance relationship, and emphasizes that sometimes love is so strong that it prevails over reason and practicality. Director Drake Doremus does a masterful job of giving his actors the freedom to create scenes that feel very gripping and authentic. He moves the story forward through swift and unique editing choices, showing the passage of time in subtle ways that never disrupt the flow of the story. Anton Yelchin continues his streak of great, film saving performances, but the real star here is Felicity Jones. You can't help but fall in love with her and her character. It is because of her gentle, subdued, yet complex approach that you really connect with the film. Jennifer Lawrence's appearance is brief, but she's too good an actress not to bring a lot to her minor character. At first, I wouldn't say I liked the film. I disagreed with a lot of the choices and reactions of Yelchin's character, Jacob. I found him unreasonable, short sighted, and more in love with himself than with Anna (Jones). I resented the film for it. But I realized I shouldn't have. The film presents a scenario and characters. These characters act the way they act, and as an audience actively participating in the film, it is our job to discuss and analyze the characters' choices and what we would do in the same circumstances. The fact that this film provoked me to do that means that this film hit a chord with me. I've been in long distance relationships, thus, I responded strongly to Like Crazy. Sometimes the film frustrated me, sometimes it really moved me. It's a lot like the trials that Jacob and Anna face in their long distance relationship that spans years. Like Crazy is a really good film.

• Zack B

  
  The only thing crazy about it is all the hype its been getting. Immature story, craftsmanship, and performance by both leads. Boy meets girl, boy and girl build an entire relationship on bad poetry, juvenile cliche, and blank stares, and inevitable problems ensue. When the story… More
  The only thing crazy about it is all the hype its been getting. Immature story, craftsmanship, and performance by both leads. Boy meets girl, boy and girl build an entire relationship on bad poetry, juvenile cliche, and blank stares, and inevitable problems ensue. When the story sticks to this unintended skeleton of a narrative, it has some successes, with strong cameos by great British character actors who all seem privy to some inside joke about this sham of a relationship. Whenever it tries to go deeper, we simply lose interest because we don't care about these spoiled lovers and their bizarrely complicated immigration issues -- is the movie promoting globalization? Furthermore, the film seems to forget that most two hour narratives requires a few complicating actions in addition to its inciting incident to keep anyone's attention; they should've just named the customs officer "Godot" with this little thickening of a plot. The true irony lies in the success of its complete dud of a resolution, because walking out of the movie saying "oh ok, I guess it worked out" seems fitting for such a low stakes, I-still-don't-really-believe-you're-soul-mates kind of movie. Slightly charming in a few bright spots, but something tells me seeing a vampire eat a baby out of a womb might more interesting than anything this one provided, and that's really saying something...

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"I thought I understood it. But I didn't. I knew the smudgeness of it. The eagerness of it. The Idea of it. Of you and me."</i> A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the US… More
  <i>"I thought I understood it. But I didn't. I knew the smudgeness of it. The eagerness of it. The Idea of it. Of you and me."</i> A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the US after overstaying her visa. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Like Crazy is about the craziness of love without a Hollywood spin but with a conventional story that tells it like love is: unadorned, raw, a puzzle, and a disappointment. Director Drake Doremus handed the outline to actors Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin and the rest was an organic script, albeit weaker than ones Brit director Mike Leigh develops with his cast. Although the dialogue is spare and prosaic, the realism is spot on as the young couple struggles most of all with long distance. She is on visa from the UK to study in LA. He meets her at college; she overstays her visa time and is banned from returning to the US until a lengthy process of appeal is followed. Those who have struggled with that distance demon know how right the artists get the frustrations and changes that plague those who challenge cupid across the pond over too long a time. Although many traditional moviegoers will not like the ending, they can be comforted that it is, alas, only too true. If nothing else, Like Crazy is a textbook study of long distance love that should be a caution before young lovers attempt the navigation.

• Matt G

  
  Drake Doremus' "Like Crazy" is like... so overdramatic. How this came to win the Jury Prize at Cannes, I'll never know. Like Crazy is so unnecessarily dramatic and ridiculous, but I can't say I didn't totally despise it. There are several moments of… More
  Drake Doremus' "Like Crazy" is like... so overdramatic. How this came to win the Jury Prize at Cannes, I'll never know. Like Crazy is so unnecessarily dramatic and ridiculous, but I can't say I didn't totally despise it. There are several moments of fantastic filmmaking, but is squandered by some of the plot changes, primarily the ignorance of the two main characters throughout. However, the two leads, Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones are quite good, and have good chemistry, but again, are squandered by some of the overly dramatic tones used. Not in any way deserving of the reward it's been granted, but still an acceptable film.

• paul o

  
  At the end, I asked myself...Was it gold or crap? The story was cliche but the acting made me cringe sometimes. Contemplating about it, it seems like a younger version of Blue Valentine. Worth watching to adults with the yearning of young love nostalgia.

• Everett J

  
  "Like Crazy" is a small movie that deals with a couples long distance relationship. Jacob(Anton Yelchin) and Anna(Felicity Jones) are a couple of college students who fall madly in love with each other, but they run into a big issue. Anna is from England and has violated… More
  "Like Crazy" is a small movie that deals with a couples long distance relationship. Jacob(Anton Yelchin) and Anna(Felicity Jones) are a couple of college students who fall madly in love with each other, but they run into a big issue. Anna is from England and has violated the terms of her student visa while attending college in the U.S. So, she must return to England and she cannot re-enter the U.S. The rest of the movie deals with them and how they deal with the distance, entering into other relationships, and the loneliness of not being with each other. While Yelchin and Jones both do a very good job, the movie falls flat and drags. At only 89 minutes, it literally feels like 2 and a half hours long. There are long stretches where nothing is said, just classical music of montages of them either together or wishing they were together. It's a very honest portrait of what their relationship is like, but it's just a boring portrait that has little entertainment value. I'd say check out "Before Sunset" instead, if you want a relationship drama. Some may find the movie to be charming and sad, but personally I found it dull and borderline lifeless.

• Pedro H

  
  <i>I want you - I need you - I love you - I miss you - Like crazy </i> <b>Depressingly Cute</b> This is a <b>wonderful</b> art film that surely stirs a lot of thoughts and opinion and moves the viewer whether they want to or not. Like Crazy is… More
  <i>I want you - I need you - I love you - I miss you - Like crazy </i> <b>Depressingly Cute</b> This is a <b>wonderful</b> art film that surely stirs a lot of thoughts and opinion and moves the viewer whether they want to or not. Like Crazy is hard to sit through, mainly because it is a slow and paradoxical romance that is enigmatic because its hard to choose sides; its hard to be happy and hard to be sad about the relationship of these two characters. Personally this movie brought about many thoughts and I though it was nicely done for a movie that is not very promising. Although the plot is simple- two young adults fall in love with each other but are forced to be kept apart from one another - what is interesting about this movie is the experience that it provides, because everyone watching this film can somehow relate to this love story, therefore the heartbreaks and get together that occur in this movie are transmitted to the audience, and we are able to feel it to. Like literature has its literary devices, so does movie, and Drake Doremus is incredibly smart when he uses camera angles and delivers certain lines that can be analyzed profoundly. Doremus constantly uses camera angles to foreshadow the separation of the lovers in the beginning of the movie, and these scenes are <b>absolutely beautiful and smart. </b> Therefore when watching this movie keep an eye and analyze the reasons for why the angles are set the way they are and what does the chair represent in the movie, and look out for the symbolism, and all of that will ameliorate your experience. Anton Yelchin is an amazing actor in my opinion; he does comedy wonderfully and as seen in this film he is also strong in drama. He delivers a character that can also be analyzed, a complex character that portrays many young men out there. The same is applied to Felicity Jones, a great actress, that delivers a great character. The only thing this movie is missing is a good soundtrack, a better ending, and a better secondary actors, but either than that it is a solid film worth analyzing and watching. Some people might love and some people might hate it so I wont recommend it but give it a shot, I did and I liked it. <u>Anna:</u> <i>"I thought I understood it. But I didn't. I knew the smudgeness of it. The eagerness of it. The Idea of it. Of you and me.:</i>

• Liam G

  
  ''Like Crazy'' is a great depiction on a long distance relationship. It's relatable, raw and the relationship between Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones is very geniune. Speaking of those two people, they have superb chemistry and deliver solid performances.… More
  ''Like Crazy'' is a great depiction on a long distance relationship. It's relatable, raw and the relationship between Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones is very geniune. Speaking of those two people, they have superb chemistry and deliver solid performances. Jones, following up last year's ''Cemetery Junction'', proves to be an actress to look out for as she delivers one of the most heartbreaking and moving performances of the year. The relationships in ''Like Crazy'' are engaging throughout, you care about every single character and while it may not be as creative as ''(500) Days of Summer'' is not quite as raw as ''Blue Valentine'', I found this movie relatable and moving like crazy. Oh and Dead Hearts at the end was amazing.

• Aaron N

  
  Jacob: What are we gonna do after we graduate? Anna: Don't think about it. Despite a strong cast, familiar, but effective indie sensibilities and soundtrack choices, and a story that does a fine enough job playing with its love story conventions and eventual resolution,… More
  Jacob: What are we gonna do after we graduate? Anna: Don't think about it. Despite a strong cast, familiar, but effective indie sensibilities and soundtrack choices, and a story that does a fine enough job playing with its love story conventions and eventual resolution, the fact that the plot of this film hinges on a really bad decision makes me annoyed by it. Like Crazy is a romantic drama that involves two college students, one an American and one a British exchange student, who have their love tested when student visa issues keep them separated for long periods of time. It is thanks to the fact that the personal touches added to this story and the work from both the leads and the very small supporting cast is quite strong, that I was able to appreciate what this film had to offer. If the main plot issue I had did not feel so important to me, I maybe would have liked the film more. read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com

• Tom M

  
  I really loved this film. It was so beautiful and so well thought out in its scope without any real effort to explore beyond what was desired to be explored in such a brisk, quick, storytelling method that fits any romance or film lovers taste. It's not for everyone though. If… More
  I really loved this film. It was so beautiful and so well thought out in its scope without any real effort to explore beyond what was desired to be explored in such a brisk, quick, storytelling method that fits any romance or film lovers taste. It's not for everyone though. If you are someone who constantly rolls your eyes at the concept of instant love, possibly at first sight, or someone who hates the idea of a film with no real general direction except to get to the end, you'll hate it. Still, for me, getting to the end could be the films only goal. And the idea of true love sits so well on the shoulders of a couple who is, lets face it, not the best looking hollywood couple. I adore couples that are so natural looking and so human looking. Not the romances forced by the big muscular guys and their perfect little model girlfriends. These are two real people falling in love and their real issues that threaten to turn a fairy tale into a real life marriage. This concept has never worked so well for me, and the dialogue flows better than any of this somewhat unscripted dialogue that I've experienced before. I really loved it.

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