Load of rubbish!!

Just perfect...

Awesome Movie

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Tom Hanks is Hollywood's nice guy, so he imitates his own personable qualities into the titular character. Which raises the fundamental question: Is he actually acting? Fortunately his talents are utilised offscreen also as he co-writes and directs this romantic comedy. Crowne has recently lost his job due to downsizing, with limited qualifications he returns to college to obtain a higher education whilst simultaneously reinventing himself. It's a feel good Sunday afternoon flick, nothing more. Reminiscent of 80s Hanks comedies such as 'Big', his dorky personality is presented through expressive behaviour. Y'know...shirt tucked in, running late to class and making a big deal out of it, clumsy...just a typical buffoon that Hanks was known for playing. A sweet romance blossoms between Hanks and Roberts who immediately establish easy onscreen chemistry. You buy into these characters with a gleeful smile on your face. The narrative was paced impeccably considering the basic plot, didn't look at my watch once! Hanks' directing style was functional, nothing grandiose or spectacular but he gets the job done without incurring any noticeable issues. It's just a shame that the whole film felt bland, lazy and uninspired. You can look at the front cover and predict exactly what happens, it is that basic. The script attempts to inject humour but comes across as cringe worthy, kind of like a joke your grandma would say. "Oh Luke, I once baked a batch of cookies with arsenic instead of milk...I'm such a silly lamb!". Not to mention the forced reinvention of his character. We get it, he is a middle aged man conforming to teenage styles and trends, it wasn't funny the first time it certainly isn't humorous for a whole film. If this was released two decades ago then I suspect it would've been decent. however, much like Crowne himself, it just can't keep up with current trends. A nice unmemorable bland watch that should've been electrifying given the talent on and off screen. I still to this day cannot grasp the concept of Feng Shui...

I don't understand the low star count (6.1 as of this review). This is a good movie with a good story, good acting, nice people, and what should have been a breakthrough performance for Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Talia, who lit up the screen with her charisma and effervescent smile. (Maybe it was. She's been busy since this movie.) Tom Hanks, Wilmer Valderrama, Bryan Cranston, Rita Wilson, and Julia Roberts are all excellent too. If you want murder, explosions, criminals, and cruelty look elsewhere. If you want a pleasant, fun, enjoyable movie with likable characters with redeeming qualities with whom you can identify and for whom you can root, this is it.

Please know that I am a fan of Tom Hanks. Movies like "Forrest Gump" or "The Green Mile" come to mind. He can pull off any genre. Movies benefit, besides from his acting skills, from his likability and charisma. So much so, that even "light comedies" seem more sophisticated somehow. Unfortunately, not this time! Larry Crowne is painful to watch, cringe-worthy and for some: aggravating.***SPOILERS AHEAD***Middle-aged Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) is fired from his job and decides to go back to college. Younger students figure, that he is lame and decide to give him a makeover: His look, his flat, etc. He does not object and happily accepts their judgment and their self proclaimed superficial role as human-fixers. So after changing his hair-cut, rearranging his flat and picking new clothes for him to wear, it comes as no surprise when a younger female student decides to grab, snap and throw his glasses. Larry Crowne's reaction: "Thank you". New glasses make him look more hip. Transformation almost complete...At the same time we, the viewer, get to know Mercedes (Julia Roberts), who is working as a college teacher. She is bitter, hates her husband (who likes big boobs) and gave up on teaching a long time ago. She is judgemental and uses limited information, she can gather by looking around, to label her students unworthy of her teachings.By now, you will probably have figured out the whole movie. Students fix Larry, Larry fixes Mercedes, Larry and Mercedes and up falling in love.I disliked this movie so much, I had to write a review. In order to balance my bad experience I will have to re-watch a classic and write a senseless good review for the universe to absorb. Thank you.

There really is no chemistry, and the storyline is quite thin. I liked all the characters but none of them have any real substance to them. The fact that it was written by Tom Hanks, surprises me, as I thought he would have done a better job with the story. It's somewhat inconceivable, that a guy with (spoiler alert) 20 years in the Navy wouldn't have a pension coming, so his need to go back to school/work is kinda lame. Things in this movie just seem to be so stiff and out of place.. the redoing of his house, the moped gang, the quick dismissal of the husband... there's so much wrong with the movie.. forget it and move on..