L'amore all'improvviso - Larry Crowne

on the surface this is a simple story we've heard before: man thinks he's going to win employee of the month award & gets the olé break room shakedown pulled on him and he finds himself without a job. sad? sure. tragic? maybe. too salty? of course. but i need more! and i got it. yes, it requires the viewer to put on their cinematic scuba gear & jump right into the world of community colleges, men wanting to be men, a diner run by a taskmaster with a dubious' tough but fair' philosophy. dangerous? sometimes. reminiscent of henrik ibsen's 'lady inger of ostrat'? no way, jose. at this point something starts to happen. you begin to hear: who is larry crowne? what is larry crowne? where is larry crowne? are scooter gangs really more scourge than scandal? what am i going to have for lunch today? those are called questions. and they float on the surface of time when you consider this movie which in scope & size & feel remind one of a fresh box of krispy kreme doughnuts on a slightly damp fall morning when the sun is playing a game of hide & seek with the clouds...and that's, well, crownetastic.

Larry Crowne is the perfect example of a movie that will make you feel good after a tiresome week at work... No brain twisters, no cheap/vulgar humor, no extravagant display of emotions, and no messages to make the world a better place and such... Just subtle brilliance...

The acting by all was superb especially Julia Roberts who didn't have many lines to say but her expressions and gestures just make you fall in love with her... Aspiring actresses; that's the way its done....

Yes the storyline is too simple but you cant hold that against a movie of this genre... The term 'beauty lies in simplicity' is coined for such movies, that give your mind a quality and relaxing massage... Well done and thank you Tom Hanks for such a feel-good film...

Scooters are normally fun, and on Larry Crowne's trip, he loses his job, goes back to school, falls for his professor and manages an enjoyable ride.

And just like a real outing, visiting the world's biggest ball of yarn may be interesting to see, but the characters that are met along the way are what make it or break it. From the start, Tom Hanks gives a pleasing performance as the off camber title character, and Julia Roberts, as his speech professor and crush, is equally as satisfying. While many of the supporting characters enhance the tour, two really stand out. George Takei as the stoic economics professor could believably show up to class riding a donkey without the students knowing whether to laugh or start taking notes. The high point, however, is Gugu Mbatha-Rau's enamoring interpretation of Talia Francesco. She plays the bubbly Talia with the a charisma that could break up a European Vespa gang.

The movie travels at an acceptable pace without stalling at any one place for too long. Writing, directing, and editing all serve to support Larry's trip from place to place and character to character.

In the end, when I come across a scooter, I may rent one or I may not. The same applies to this movie. While I wouldn't suggest to anyone to seek it out, if you happen upon it with some time to kill, it's an entertaining ride.

This movie is simply a movie in which Tom Hanks wrote, directed, and acted in, not for pure entertainment value. There's some humor in it, but the ultimate goal is that it's strictly written as a means to connect with anyone who has ever been cut from a job which paid the bills, paid the mortgage, paid the student loans, paid any car loans, etc. then nothing, no job, credit is overdrawn, house, car, & lucky if they don't lose their shirt. It's the way of the world for the last 10 years and that's Tom Hanks' message to the audience: How can we adjust to this sudden hole in our lives? Well, the movie subtly gives you a lot of answers. If you ever been out of your element, then you'll enjoy this film.

To begin, I'm not sure what some of the other reviewers expected to see in this film. Larry Crowne is not a sizzling drama, a fast paced action movie, or an over-the-top comedy, & it's not likely to win a bunch of Oscars for acting, screenplay or anything else for that matter. What is is, however, is a well written, fun movie that is fairly well acted & very enjoyable.

The story does take a little bit to unfold, but does so in an organic way as not to give away too much too soon. The cast was well chosen & I found the characters to have been well developed & really fun people. Like most other films, there is certainly some creative license taken in that most everybody in it is funny and likable, which is what you want from a film like this. If only reality were filled with such great people, we should all be so lucky.

There are a few loose ends that may have been stitched up a bit better (per several of the reviews I have read) but I'm not sure that was necessary at all to the story. Moviegoers these days seem to have a need for everything to be spelled out to the Nth degree. If it wasn't critical for the story to unfold, it didn't make its way into the picture. There's something to be said for movies that leave a bit to the imagination for the viewer after the film is over, Keeps you thinking about it for awhile after you've left your seat.

I would watch it again. I left feeling good, with a smile on my face, which is what I was after upon deciding to watch it.