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John Requa and Glenn Ficarra
Crazy Stupid Love (2011) is harmless
domestic comedy with the stereotypical happy ending while condoning adultery
and promiscuity, which are not the usual Hollywood values.
Cal is a middle-aged man who has loved his wife Emily since he was 15. They
have three children, the older one Hannah being an aspiring lawyer and the
second one Robby being the brightest teenager in high school. One night
Emily tells Cal that she slept with her coworker Kevin. His world falls apart.
Their marriage is over. Meanwhile, a handsome womanizer, Jacob, tries in vain
to seduce Hannah in a bar the way he seduces all the others. Hannah has set
high standards for herself and hopes that her boss at the law firm will
propose to her. Cal and Emily use their friend Bernie's daughter Jessica as
their babysitter. Robby is madly in love with her, but she doesn't pay
attention to him because he is four years younger. Robby does not know (and
nobody knows) that Jessica is secretely in love with Cal himself.
Cal meets Jacob and Jacob
decides to help the miserable Cal. Jacob transforms him into a maestro of
seduction but the real success comes when Cal plays himself to a humble
teacher, Kate. Then Cal becomes a womanizer himself. Jessica hears from
her parents that Cal is sleeping with younger women. Desperate, Jessica
asks an experienced friend how to seduce older men and receives the advice
to send him sexy pictures. Jessica takes pictures of herself naked and puts
them in envelop addressed to Cal. Meanwhile, Cal has come to realize that
he too is at fault if his wife lost interest in him. He would make peace
if they were not summoned by the teacher of Robby, a teacher who happens
to be... the very Kate who slept with Cal, a fact that becomes obvious
during the conversation. Emily and Cal walk out of the meeting yelling
at each other in front of all the other parents. Cal admits having slept
with nine women and this time it is Emily's turn to be humiliated.
At a gathering of the law firm Hannah is disappointed that her boss asks
her to become a partner in the firm but not to become his wife. She runs
out of the place and straight into Jacob's arms. Hannah is curious how
men like Jacob seduce their victims and interrogates him. Jacob is fascinated
by a woman who is clearly not the kind of woman he picks up in bars.
He falls in love with her, not knowing that she is Cal's daughter.
Jessica's parents find her naked pictures addressed to Cal. Bernie gets
into the car and drives to Cal's place. Jessica chases him trying to
explain that Cal doesn't even know about the pictures. Meanwhile Cal has
decided to make peace with his wife in front of his children. He is
shocked when Hannah walks in with her fiance: Jacob. Then Bernie bursts in
and tries to kill Cal. Then Kevin walks in and is beaten by Jacob.
At the end of the riot, Cal tells Jacob that he will never give his approval,
Robby is heartbroken that Jessica is in love with his dad, and Kevin is no
longer excited to get Emily. Now Cal has also lost his children besides his
wife and his friends. Everybody attends Robby's graduation. Robby's speech
becomes very personal and Cal steps in. Cal pledges eternal love to his wife
Emily and Robby shouts his love for Jessica. They are all reconciled and life
returns to normal. Jessica even gives Robby a special gift: the naked pictures.
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