Stuck In Love (2012)
Certified: 15
Duration: 97 minutes
Directed by: Josh Boone
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Nat Wolff, Lily Collins, Logan Lerman, Liana Liberato
KRS release
Stuck in Love is one of those wish-fulfilment, whimsical and sophisticated romantic comedies.
Josh Boone directs this American independent film with a soft touch, relying on his cast to propel the film forward. And they certainly do not let him down. In addition, the film has a sitcom element to it that gives it a glossy and picture-perfect look.
Greg Kinnear plays Bill Borgens, a writer who has had some success, both with the critics and with readers. On the personal side, however, he is in a rut as he is still in love with his ex-wife Erica (Jennifer Connelly) who left him for a younger man. Bill does not give up: he follows her around and spies on her, and wants her to be part of their children’s life.
On Thanksgiving Day, Bill tells 16-year-old Rusty (Nat Wolff) to keep a space for their mother at the dinner table. Meanwhile, Sam (Lily Collins), who is 19 years old, returns from college with the news that she has just written a book and that it has been chosen for publication. Bill is happy as he had always dreamed that his children would become writers like him, but the fact that Sam has written a book without his help annoys him.
Sam, more than Rusty, does not want their mother in her life for betraying her father. This has affected the way she looks at relationships, and does not think she will ever commit to a long-term one. In the meantime, she starts to get close to another budding writer, Lou (Logan Lerman).
On the other hand, her brother Rusty is whimsical, sweet-natured and a romantic at heart. He is a poet and his inspiration is Kate (Liana Liberato), who is a mine of trouble. Everything will however serve to inspire the characters in their writing.
Stuck in Love is slick and cool. The characters are never developed beyond the scope of the film’s genre but the cast is a tremendous help to Boone in his directorial debut. They make this dysfunctional family of writers come alive with all the insecurities, idiosyncrasies and insights they present. Rather than being just a drama, everything comes coated with a certain degree of charm to give the film a romantic comedy sheen.
The cast makes this dysfunctional family of writers come alive with all the insecurities, idiosyncrasies and insights they present
The script has a good number of clichés one usually finds packaged in a novel or in a romantic comedy series. However, the actors turn the clichés on their head. Then there are also cameo roles from the likes of Kristen Bell and Logan Lerman that give the film an added veneer of respectability and depth.
The fact that true love will end up conquering all is a given, since this is the cardinal rule of the genre. But in Stuck in Love, fans of the genre will find that while the subject may be familiar, love comes tinged with various shades to it that make it worthwhile checking out.