Larry Crowne was a charming movie that catches you by surprise until you find yourself smiling by the end. A simple but meaningful plot causes some character transformations during the course of the film. Admittedly this movie did get off to a slow start and after an hour I just started to really enjoy it, especially during the turning point when Mercedes (played by Julia Roberts) realizes that her husband who is a self-employed and self-professed narcissistic (ex-professor turned) blogger/writer/chronic pornaholic is just not worth the trouble which signals the end of her marriage. At the beginning of the movie she is a bitter, depressed English/Communications professor that hates her job and drowns herself in alcohol. Then she meets Larry Crowne who little by little changes her life as she does the same for him.
Larry (played by Tom Hanks) gets downsized at the start of the movie supposedly because he doesn't have a college degree. After being in the navy for 20 years, he did not have time to go back to school and after getting advice from his neighbour Lamar (played by Cedric the Entertainer) he decides to enroll in Community College. He meets a young girl and a group of riders (on scooters) who become his friends. This same young lady gives him a new wardrobe, haircut and rearranges his house and his perspective on life. However, the first indication that Mercedes is interested in Larry is when she sees the two together and instantly gets jealous. She gets equally upset when he misses one of her classes. When she is stranded in the middle of the street at night after she exits her husband's car after a fight, Larry comes to her rescue. She allows him to take her home reluctantly and they have a ridiculously awkward kiss to the viewers but magical for them. Of course, they can't act on their emotions because of the teacher/student relationship so Mercedes appears disinterested and expresses this to Larry.
After the final presentation in class everyone falls in love with Larry. Mercedes awards him an A+ and goes to the diner where he works to give him the news and suggest her availability, as she is no longer his teacher. The pair inevitably gets together. Larry also does extremely well his first semester at school. He aces his Economics class, which also gives him the knowledge to handle his debt and sell his house. All in all, this movie had a good message and the characters all find redemption at the end. These two main actors still have what it takes to pull off a good movie and they have great on screen chemistry.
I give this movie 7 stars!
Larry (played by Tom Hanks) gets downsized at the start of the movie supposedly because he doesn't have a college degree. After being in the navy for 20 years, he did not have time to go back to school and after getting advice from his neighbour Lamar (played by Cedric the Entertainer) he decides to enroll in Community College. He meets a young girl and a group of riders (on scooters) who become his friends. This same young lady gives him a new wardrobe, haircut and rearranges his house and his perspective on life. However, the first indication that Mercedes is interested in Larry is when she sees the two together and instantly gets jealous. She gets equally upset when he misses one of her classes. When she is stranded in the middle of the street at night after she exits her husband's car after a fight, Larry comes to her rescue. She allows him to take her home reluctantly and they have a ridiculously awkward kiss to the viewers but magical for them. Of course, they can't act on their emotions because of the teacher/student relationship so Mercedes appears disinterested and expresses this to Larry.
After the final presentation in class everyone falls in love with Larry. Mercedes awards him an A+ and goes to the diner where he works to give him the news and suggest her availability, as she is no longer his teacher. The pair inevitably gets together. Larry also does extremely well his first semester at school. He aces his Economics class, which also gives him the knowledge to handle his debt and sell his house. All in all, this movie had a good message and the characters all find redemption at the end. These two main actors still have what it takes to pull off a good movie and they have great on screen chemistry.
I give this movie 7 stars!