"Like Crazy" starts out strongly. Fresh young love, imbibed with an earthy, quiet spontaneity. The 2 leads actors have a playful, heartfelt energy between them. Yelchin (Jacob) and Jones (Anna) were finely cast, as were Alex Kingston and Oliver Muirhead, as the parents of Anna. Several scenes were familiar territory to me, even offering a few gentle reminders about the fragile nature of romantic dreams. Kudos to the production design and costuming people, who were willing to let the actors shine. The scenes were rendered with comforting modernity, without trying too hard. It's refreshing to see a creative team who are not compelled to be edgy or trendy. The push-pull dynamic of long-distance relationships is revealed quite well in this story. Having said that, the core energy and rhythm seemed to dissipate after a while, and I felt like the movie lost its bearings. This film could have benefited from a tighter edit. In a way, the director may have intended for the audience to feel a bit haggard at various points. The romantic part of me wanted some reassuring escapism in the final scene. Instead, we are left to grapple with the evidence of awkwardness, which some of us are all too familiar with.

Starring:

Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence

Genre:

Drama, Romance