CRAZY STUPID LOVE: genuinely funny offbeat comedy

I liked CRAZY STUPID LOVE loads more than I expected to, and there's two reasons for that - Ryan Gosling and Steve Carrell. They're very different kinds of actors but they work surprisingly well together.

Gosling plays Jacob Palmer, super-cool ladies man who only has to look at a young woman to seduce her, while Carrell is nerdy, middle-aged Cal Weaver, who's been married so long he's forgotten how to relate to the opposite sex. Their paths cross in a trendy bar one night where Cal is getting drunk and complaining loudly about his wife (Julianne Moore) cheating on him with co-worker Kevin Bacon. For reasons that are never fully explained Jacob takes pity on this pathetic wretch and makes it his mission to return Cal to the land of the living and the world of available single women.
Gosling's success is in making Jacob a likeable character despite his womanising ways. There's nothing sleazy about this guy because he plays it almost for laughs, practically acknowledging to his prey that he can't believe she's falling for his undeniably cheesy pick-up lines, without making her feel cheap or used. Gosling is effortlessly smooth in the part with a sharp sense of humour and a knack for saying only what's necessary and nothing more.
Impressed as I was by his performance I was practically blown away by Carrell. I've not been a big fan of his work in 'The Office' or his efforts in 'Dinner for Schmucks', 'Get Smart' and 'Evan Almighty.' The comedy is too broad and blunt and it just seems like he's trying too hard. CRAZY STUPID LOVE reveals his real talent is for much more subtle humour. Cal is not a comedy character but rather a character who happens to be funny. The humour here arises from the situation rather than the situation existing solely to be funny. Carell is not trying to be funny here, he just is. This is the most impressive piece of work he's done since 'Dan in Real Life' with the advantage that this time he's in a film that's as good as he is.
Yes this is a romantic comedy but it's not a cookie-cutter by-the-numbers Jennifer Aniston-type rom-com. Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have created that rarest of cinematic beasts - a mainstream comedy that's just off-beat enough in its humour and pacing to give it a fresh, smart, almost indie feel without alienating multiplex audiences.