'Crazy, Stupid Love' Is Clever, Ironic, Self-Referential

This weekend, "Crazy, Stupid Love" opened to laughs and gaffes.

On the one hand, this movie seems to fit every romantic comedy cliche. Steve Carell plays a milquetoast suburban everyman named Cal Weaver who learns that his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), wants a divorce.

Drowning his sorrows at a bar, Cal meets Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling), a perennial ladies' man who takes him under his wing and teaches him how to woo women.

While Cal becomes well-versed in the art of philandering, he finds that he can't let go of his first love. To top it off, Jacob turns out to be a lonely wounded soul, fitting many women's fantasies that a player can change.

Even the awkward love triangle between 13-year-old Robbie (Jonah Bobo), the 17-year-old babysitter (Analiegh Tipton), and Cal strikes a familiar chord. What teenager hasn't crushed on the unavailable older person at some point?

Yet what keeps this movie from sinking into chick-flick banality is the lovingly ironic tone. From the Mr. Miyagi references to the "Dirty Dancing" moves, "Crazy, Stupid Love" is not afraid to poke fun at itself.

One example is the apartment scene between Hannah (Emma Stone) and Jacob (whom she refers to as "hot guy at the bar"). The entire scene involves one romantic comedy gaffe after another.

An inebriated Hannah is frustrated when her dull boyfriend (Josh Groban) neglects to propose. So she decides she wants an "R-Rated" night with Jacob. She talks about how she does not want the "PG-13" version, where he carries her to bed, puts a blanket over her, kisses her, and nothing happens.

In a scene at Emily's office, Robbie confronts Emily's "other man" (Kevin Bacon) by flaunting a picture of Emily and Cal and telling him that his parents would get back together, as if prophetically proclaiming how the story was supposed to play out.

In a classic romantic comedy ploy, Cal stands dejectedly in the parking lot as the rain starts pouring down. As if Cal could read our minds, he mutters, "what a cliche!"

I was surprised to see such a mixed crowd at the theater. (I was expecting a typical chick flick audience.) Yet this crowd was testament to the fact that this movie offered something for everyone (even the teenage boys, who I assume were "Office" fans).

In a way, "Crazy, Stupid Love" displays similar strengths to the raunchy comedy "Bridesmaids." Both films manage to achieve a delicate balance. Like "Bridesmaids," "Crazy, Stupid Love" manages to turn stereotypes of romantic comedies on their heads while still sticking to the tried and true formulas that have worked for so long.