By Mike Gordon – I view Tom Hanks as one of the all-time giants among movie actors. He is true Hollywood royalty. When I heard he was producing, directing, co-writing and starring in a new film, I assumed it was his first step in becoming the new Clint Eastwood. Sadly, Mr. Hanks broke the number rule of movie-making: have a point to make or a story to tell. What we get is a 1980′s flashback when mainstream movies could be successful just by putting nice people on screen.
Tom Hanks plays the ultimate nice guy as Larry Crowne. Crowne is the type who attracts nice people and makes them even nicer. Even when he loses his job, we never doubt that this nice guy will land on his feet and even be better off eventually.
The closest thing to a bad guy is Roberts’ husband played by Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad).Sure, when the movie starts, Ms. Roberts character is at her lowest. She clearly drinks too much to mask her misery, though it’s never clear just why she is so miserable.
But this is not a movie about conflict or tension or anything not nice … even though it begins with a nice guy getting laid off from his job. The story and screenplay are co-written by Hanks and Nia Vardalos. You will remember her as the creative force behind the gem “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. Unfortunately, this film is nowhere close to the level of that one.
If Mr. Hanks’ goal is to become an important filmmaker in the vein of Clint Eastwood, or even Frank Capra, he will need to study the films that have made him rich and famous. Or at least study the best screwball comedies or rom-coms.My two favorite things about the film are George Takei and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Mr. Takei (of Star Trek fame) provides some of the few laughs in the film as a very meticulous Economics professor.
As you might expect, supporting actors lined up to work with Hanks and Julia. Among those not mentioned above are Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji B. Henson (Crowne’s neighbors), Wilmer Valderrama (Gugu’s boyfriend), Rita Wilson (the mortgage officer), Pam Grier (professor), Grace Gummel (Meryl Streep’s daughter as the ‘pasta’ speech student), and it’s always nice to see Bob Stevenson on screen. He is one of the more underutilized deadpan comedic talents around.
I was kinda surprised when Tom Hanks stepped in for Richard Gere in “Larry Crowne”, the way too late for anyone to care “Pretty Woman” Sequel.So now our big shot, likeshimselfsomehookers, billionaire has fallen victim to the recession like everyone else, and is now unemployed and just kind of all around sad, really. He finds out quickly that a degree in whoremongering doesn’t get him anywhere so he swallows his pride and goes back to school. In a severe twist of fate, made even punchier by all of the ‘teacher/schoolboy’ fantasies they’ve played out in the past, Julia Roberts is teaching the class: “How sell your soul to the dark lord and never age……Read the rest of this review @ http://skipnappan.com