Larry Crowne is a pleasant summer surprise, and one of the most underrated movies of the year so far. Here’s a movie that feels authentic, starring two very popular actors, and lacking the smarmy sarcasm of hipster indies and the explosions of big budget summer blockbusters. In short, it would have probably been better received if it was released during a different part of the year. In a summer movie season full of 3-D, wizards, and homoerotic giant robot action, it’s a tough fit. Larry Crowne is exceedingly well-acted and written and even better, it speaks to the times we currently live in.
Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) is a middle-aged guy who works at a retail giant similar to Wal-Mart. Larry loses his job one day simply because he didn’t attend college and thus can’t advance up the corporate ladder. This nutty thinking causes Larry to enroll in a community college where a class taught by Julia Roberts changes him forever. He also takes an economics class (not a bad idea) taught by the hiliarous George Takei, who steals every scene in the movie. Larry sells his car and buys a scooter and meets a charming free spirit and her oddly laid back boyfriend. Larry Crowne was co-written and directed by Tom Hanks and is paced perfectly. At 97 minutes, it never overstays its welcome like so many movies do these days.
Larry Crowne isn’t a movie for self-loathing liberals (its too optimistic for them) or angry teabaggers (too left-wing for them) but it is a movie for the other 90 percent of the country that believe in compassion and human decency. The movie has a big heart and some laughs along the way that make it a perfectly enjoyable and surprisingly thoughtful little movie. Larry Crowne is one of the best movies of the year so far.
Grade: A-
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