"Like Crazy" – A film for lovers

By Melissa Mazzone
Falling in love is the most common theme in modern films and book and every screenwriter and director attempts to approach this theme in a new and exciting way. Most of these types of films end up falling under the formula of ‘boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl; something gets in the way, but then works itself out.’ “Like Crazy” a film by Drake Doremus, manages to escape this formula and capture the audience in a way that makes it seem like you are watching someone’s real life play out.
The film is about a young couple, Anna (Felicity Jones) and Jacob (Anton Yelchin), who meet in college, fall in love, and are tragically torn apart due to distance. The rawness of the film and the pure talent of the actors make the relationship very believable and even more heartbreaking.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, “Like Crazy” is a film that takes risks. Much of the scenes are made up of improvised lines given by Yelchin and Jones, “I wanted to feel these were real conversations, truthful conversations,” Doremus said in an interview prior to the Sundance screening.
The story begins in college, where the two quickly hit it off and fall in love, but when Jones’ character violates her student visa, she has to return home to England and is banned from the United States. This leaves the two at a standstill and the rest of the film is about how these two try to work it out.
A key scene is a phone call mid-film after the two have been apart for several months. Jones’ character returns to her apartment after a night of drinking and receives a call from Yelchin’s character. The two have a quick awkward conversation then hang up, but Jones quickly calls back in tears and asks, “So do you want to come over?” in which Yelchin responds with, “Yeah give me a half hour.” He then says, “Give me a few weeks,” and in no time he is at Heathrow airport in the U.K. This scene is so well done by the two young actors that it is hard to believe that it is improvised.
In the end, this film leaves the audience heartbroken but it is worth it to watch because it captures the honesty of a real life long-distance relationship. There are no happy endings in this movie and often that is reality. This film is perfect for those who enjoy realistic fiction, tearjerkers, and the charm of Felicity Jones’ British accent. I give the film 5/5 stars.