For the second part of my Saturday night movie double-header, I decided to stay in my Tom Hanks comfort zone and check out an older Hanks movie that I missed when it first came out in 2011 called Larry Crowne.
If you’ve been reading along, you’ll know that the first part of the double bill was A Man Called Otto, which I also reviewed here.
I feel like Larry Crowne flew under the radar when it was first released because I knew nothing about it. Which is surprising, considering some of the names on this cast. In addition to Hanks, we have Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston, Rita Wilson, Cedric The Entertainer, Rob Riggle, Randall Park, Wilmer Valderrama, Pam Grier, Rami Malek, and George Takei. Now granted this was over a decade ago, so some of those names didn’t mean then, what they mean now.
So we go from Hanks playing a grumpy old man in the first film, to Hanks playing a middle-aged man going to college for the first time after being downsized out of his job in the second film. It’s quite the contrast, but hey…It’s Tom!
As a romantic comedy, Larry Crowne falls short. There is almost zero chemistry between Larry and Mercedes (Julia Roberts). Then again, how much romance should we expect between two middle-aged people who are at a cross-roads in both their lives? Mercedes is stuck in a loveless marriage with Sean (Bryan Cranston) a so-called writer, who’d rather surf porn all day than write a page. Mercedes is also questioning her calling as a teacher of public-speaking.
While Larry—who is divorced—has just been fired from the only job he’s known for 20 years since his time in the navy. Without any post-secondary education, Larry’s employment prospects look bleak.
So Larry goes to college. Takes a bunch of courses including public speaking and economics. He also discovers an unexpected love for scooters. At first it’s out of necessity as he can’t afford to fill his SUV with gas, but then he finds himself joining a scooter gang of younger college kids. They take him on as a bit of a project. Rearranging his house, giving him a new look haircut and wardrobe.
This is where the movie is fun. Larry’s interactions with Talia—played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw—and her not-quite-intimidating boyfriend Dell (Valderrama) are what give the story heart and humour.
Larry’s interactions with his neighbour Lamar (Cedric the Entertainer) and his wife B’Ella (Taraji P. Henson) are also unexpected and quirky fun.
And that’s what I have to say about this film, it’s unexpected and quirky. A welcome change from the previous film I watched that night, but not nearly as good.
What are you thinking?