Culture

Directed by Tom Hanks, (3.5/5).

Larry Crowne is Tom Hank’s sophomore attempt at writing and directing a film. Sitting a little uncomfortably between drama and comedy, it isn’t entirely sure of itself, but it is otherwise enjoyable and relatively easy viewing.
 
Larry (Hanks) is a middle-aged long retired Navy cook (or ‘culinary specialist’ as he likes to say), working as a nine-time Employee-of-the-month at U-mart until he is ‘downsized’. Larry never went to college, which limits his potential within the company. Consequently, Larry’s neighbour Avery (Sy Richardson) suggests he enrolls at community college. Cue the introduction of a series of quirky characters: Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts), a jaded, verging on alcoholic lecturer uninspired by her public speaking class, and the weirdly funny economics professor (George Takei).
 
The storyline begins to truly blossom with the arrival of the vivacious twenty-something Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who enlists Larry into her scooter gang, feng-shui’s his apartment and revamps his entire wardrobe. You may be cringing at the possibility of a completely gross potential relationship between Talia and our protagonist, but fortunately the friendship remains platonic. The same, however, cannot be said about the student-teacher relationship of Larry and Mercedes.
 
The film is littered with supporting roles that help to shake up Larry's life and add hilarity. We have fellow college students who are equally unintelligent and enthusiastic, as well as a bank manager played by Hanks’ real-life wife, and Roberts and Hanks deliver slightly subdued performances which gives these more minor players to a chance to really shine (although, it is pretty difficult to see past Roberts’ winning smile and Hanks’ adorability).
 
If you are expecting to see Tom Hanks in a performance like Forrest Gump or Julia Roberts in Erin Brokovich then you are going to be highly disappointed. But if you revel in what this film is truly supposed to be – a happy-go-lucky, nothing serious, bit of fun, erring on mid-life crisis film – then you might just enjoy it. Admittedly, the easy laughs override any potential solid drama but then again it would have been a rather bleak storyline minus the wit. It isn’t the film of the century, nor is it particularly life-changing but it’s a nice, heart-warming watch.