Larry Crowne: Disappointing Romantic Comedy

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Monday, 18 July 2011 13:48

Each week, the Reel Dad checks the nutritional value of a movie — new or classic — to help parents choose what to watch. This week’s pick is a new film from Tom Hanks, Larry Crowne.

There are many lessons from our nation’s economic meltdown that we should we share with our children. We should help them understand how bad times can happen to good people no matter how talented or responsible they may be. We can help them see how perseverance is a fundamental quality to acquire for life. And we should inspire our children, no matter how much success they experience, to prepare themselves for what may happen next.

Larry Crowne, a well-intentioned but disappointing film from Tom Hanks, tries to fit these lessons into the framework of an engaging romantic comedy. But the very busy Hanks — the film’s star, director and co-writer — works so hard to try to tell too many stories that he ends up serving a mixed up mess. The film is neither funny nor romantic and its ultimate message — of the potential we each have to reinvent ourselves — gets reduced to a plot better suited for a mindless television sitcom.

Hanks, projecting his familiar “everyman” persona, portrays Larry, an eager employee at a big box retail store. Larry cleans up the parking lot before the workday begins, turns routine tasks into games with co-workers, and looks forward to being named, again, the employee of the month. So he is stunned when the bosses of the business — including a funny parody of an HR person — discharge him. “Why,” he asks, only to hear, “because you do not have a college education.” Undaunted, Hanks enrolls in classes at a community college and, on the first day of school, finds himself attracted to his public speaking teacher, played by Julia Roberts.

If only Hanks had decided, at this point, what film he wanted to make, Larry Crowne might have had a chance. He could, as some scenes suggest, offer a realistic look at the challenges of a middle-aged man returning to campus, from learning how to text during class to overcoming academic insecurities. Or he could, as in other scenes, carefully develop his relationship with teacher Julia or, perhaps, figure out why she is so bitter about her life. Instead of focusing on one story, Hanks tries to tell them all without taking the time to develop any beyond the surface. As a result, we don’t carry very much about what happens to Larry, if he will successfully change his life, or if he and teacher will find happiness. We just sit and wait for the movie to end.

Hanks, a gifted actor, needs a strong director. But director Hanks lets scenes drag too slowly, fails to develop characters and gives the film a static visual look. The actor Hanks hesitates to give the character engaging qualities that would make him likable. And Roberts simply looks bored, never investing the role with any of the energy we see in her better work.

Ultimately, the potential for positive messages — of how someone can reinvent himself for a changing world — is undermined by Hanks’ failure to choose which story to tell. Hopefully, at some point, our nation’s economic nightmare will fuel a meaningful film that captures the lessons we should remember. Until then, Larry Crowne is a disappointing attempt.

Film Nutritional Value:

Larry Crowne

* Content: Medium. Had the film focused on one part of Larry’s journey — instead of skimming over several — it could have been meaningful.

* Entertainment: Medium. The film’s lack of focus drains its potential to entertain and its pace is too slow for its content.

* Message: Medium. While the film is not a traditional “message” picture, it does offer a meaningful moral that reinvention is a part of life.

* Relevance: High. Any opportunity to discuss the lessons of our economic challenges is worthwhile even in a disappointing film.

* Opportunity for dialogue: Medium. Because the film tries to tell too many stories, it reduces the opportunity to discuss its fundamental lessons.

(Larry Crowne is rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual content. The film runs 98 minutes.)

2 Popcorn Buckets