Like Crazy: "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."

Director: Drake Doremus
Writer:    Drake Doremus
Starring: Anton Yelchin
               Felicity Jones
               Jennifer Lawrence
               Charlie Bewley
               Alex Kingston
               Finola Hughes
Rating:    ***

Release Date: 03/02/12

Director Drake Doremus tries to show the struggle of love, a love they try to keep strong over the years, long distance, and through various personal and professional changes. The film itself poses one big question: Can something as honest and fragile as true love survive the rocky road of life?

Anna (Jones) is a bright young writer in her last year of college in LA. There that she meets Jacob (Yelchin), a quiet and shy young carpenter studying furniture design. Anna makes the first move, writing a love letter to Jacob inviting him out on a date, where the two realise they have an instant, undeniable and passionate connection. Their love is carefree and strong until reality intervenes: after graduation Anna’s student visa will expire, and she’ll be forced to go back home to London. Despite the fact that it would be breaking the law, she decides to stay in the country to spend a relaxed and fun summer with Jacob, and they live their lives, at least for a small while. The summer couldn’t be greater for the pair, and when Anna finally goes back to London, they both assume that it will only be for a short time. However, that silly thing called The Law shows it's head and the issue of her visa violation gets brought up. They are then both forced to battle against the odds, and face the consequences whilst trying to maintain their relationship. This battle for love covers many years as Anna and Jacob both grow, change, come together and then drift apart again; trying to find love somewhere else only to struggle with their feelings of true love.

Like Crazy is boosted by the fantastic performances of its two young leads. The chemistry between Jones and Yelchin is subtle, yet powerful and engaging to watch. The pair are able to show their thoughts and emotions in the simplest looks, gestures, and smiles; the connection they share feels genuine and organic and really is pleasant to watch. Out of the two, it’s Jones who stands out the most, playing an up to date version of the damsel in love; the film as a whole gives us characters who are modern twists on various classic romance movie roles. However, while the characters themselves are strong points, the pacing and structure of Like Crazy, is likely to put off some of the viewers. The film concentrates on specific moments over the course of their relationship; the jumps in time between the scenes can be a bit confusing, and often make the film feel jumpy and awkward. These interruptions are especially obvious in the storylines for the supporting characters like Samantha (Lawrence) and Simon (Bewley), two people that Jacob and Anna become entangled with respectively as they struggle with their own relationship.

The subtlety of the plot and acting means, that as the story develops, the characters change without you really realising. This is a flaw, in my eyes, as by the end of the film you wonder 'what has actually happened' and 'what was the point'. As the film draws to a close they have suddenly changed completely, making the whole conclusion a bit confusing and disappointing. Despite some issues with the film's structure and choice of focus, Like Crazy is actually very entertaining and it is a truly terrific modern day romantic epic. A must-see for anyone who understands the idea of life getting in the way of love, and it is out in the UK February 2012.

Like Crazy - Trailer