Larry Crowne (A)

Few comedies are as charming or as tender as Larry Crowne.

With the help of writer Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Tom Hanks (That Thing You Do!) succeeds as the author, director, and star of a drama about a middle-aged divorced man (named, you guessed it: Larry Crowne) returning to college after being laid-off from his long-time retail job.

The film starts off rather poorly, with the lack of a consistant tone. The buisnessmen firing Crowne do so in such an unproffessional manner—in refferring to Larry’s lack of an education, oneman blurts out “Who would have thought I’d be premoted before you?!”—that the movie feels almost like a typical comedy with exaggerrated reactions from everyone. However, other scenes use a more quiet, tender mood. By the half-way mark, though, the picture stands firmly in the latter category, and that is a good thing—the audience might not roar with laughter like they did inTropic Thunder, but they care far more about the characters and are far more invested in the story.

Much of the reason the film succeeds is due to the excellent acting. Hanks, who has been nominated for 5 acting Oscars (including wins for Philidelphia andForrest Gump), does his usual mild-mannered, out-of-place routine, but he does it as well as ever (and without the dim-witted tone he showed in The Terminal). Julia Roberts, as an alcoholic proffessor going through a messy divorce, has almost as large a role, and succeeds in giving her character character (pardon the expression) without becoming too irritating—we see the hurt this woman has, and we see how her anger is misguided. More surprising, though, is the fact that even the smallest of supporting roles is done with perfect skill. Talent and effort is showcased by Wilmer Valderrama, Rami Malek, George Takei, and Cedric the Entertainer. With the third largest role in the movie (and a great role to play), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, best known as the female star of TV’s Undercovers, shines in what is hopefully the start of a great film carreer.

Of course, all of this acting talent would be trivial if it were not for such a touching, tender story to go with it. Larry Crowne tackles big issues without boring or berrating the audience, and it resolves them with a bittersweet, satisfying, and surprisingly moving conclusion, of which Hanks and award-winning Cinematographer Philppe Rousselot (Big Fish; Sherlock Holmes) give a soothing style and appearance that underscores the messages.

Few movies are as sweet and as thoughtful as Larry Crowne.