Movie Review: Like Crazy

by Olivia Saperstein

Have you ever been in one of those relationships where you feel like only you and the other person exist? If so, Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy will evoke all your nostalgia, and suck you into the confined space that young lovers create for themselves. 

 

You may recognize actor Anton Yelchin from Alpha Dog or Charlie Bartlett, but he has certainly taken a leap of maturity in this film. Yelchin plays Jacob, a college T.A. who receives a love note from British classmate Anna (Felicity Jones). An immediate connection is made, and a relationship soon ensues. When Anna violates her visa, she is sent back home and then two are left to flounder, long-distance style. 

 

The commonality of the long-distance-love experience is exactly what makes this film so relatable — while watching, I recalled having the same conversation with my ex that Jacob and Anna were having. But what’s unique is that it isn’t told from either character’s vantage point. It’s voyeuristic in that viewers feel like they’re watching this couple through a crack in the wall, intruding on an intimate experience.

 

It’s easy to empathize with Jacob and Anna because the acting is so raw and true. Jones and Yelchin have outrageous chemistry, while Jennifer Lawrence of Winter’s Bone is convincingly lovestruck in her supporting role as Jacob’s other girl. Twilight ‘s Charlie Bewley is a nice piece of eye candy as Anna’s controlling new man.

 

As the characters fight to hang on to their relationship, viewers are reminded of how easily they get attached to what’s comfortable, and how human beings are so resistant to change. Like Crazy recognizes the impermanence of life, and that sometimes subtlety hits closer to home than grandiose drama. 

 

Be sure to bring your tissue box to this one, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself peering at those smitten couples on the subway on your way home — this time from a new perspective. 

 

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