Larry Crowne Taking us Back to School

           Larry Crowne is a simple movie and that’s why I love it. I even have this movie listed as one of my top favorites. It’s great how Tom Hanks hit a very real topic in the world and didn’t swamp it down with Hollywood glamour.

            Larry Crowne is the story of, well, Larry Crowne, Tom Hanks. He loves his job at U Mart and is their best employee. But due to budget cuts corporate reviews all the employees’ files and it comes to light that Larry never went to college, he joined the Navy straight out of high school as a cook. This little detail becomes U Mart’s reason for firing him. Larry then sets out to find another job, but after a week of looking and not finding he ends up listening to his neighbor, Cedric the Entertainer, who tells him to get an education. Larry goes to his local college and signs up for his first semester and in that first semester he meets quite a few characters.

            While doing my research on this film I have found one common factor at all of my sources. Nobody likes this movie. One of the biggest problems people have with it is the fact that Julia Roberts is in a lead role. There are some that joked that Roberts’ part should have been given to Meg Ryan so Tom Hanks and she could fall in love again. Really though, Julia Roberts portrayed the border line alcoholic teacher with a troubled marriage quite well and the chemistry between Tom Hanks and her was great. Larry Crowne is filled with comedic moments, all that really fit with the environment it’s set in, and most come from a girl Larry meets his first day of college, Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). This is actually where some problems come up to me in the movie. After Larry first meets her they talk a bit and then go their separate ways. Then later she turns up in one of his classes and she tells him she will give him her number so they can hang out, but as she says this she just reaches down and takes Larry’s phone, in its holder, and then she makes a disgusted face at the holder and simply throws it away. Umm, I’m sorry but I’m pretty sure that any other person at this point would have yelled at her for this, but instead Larry just lets her do it and simply puts his phone in his pocket when he gets it back. There are instances of Talia doing similar things to Larry and his stuff all through the movie and it just makes you wonder. Was Tom Hanks trying to say that Larry was so desperate to change his life after getting fired that he was just okay with someone changing everything about him? But of course all the changes helped Larry in some way throughout his start of his new life and it did help him get that kiss. This movie touches on a topic that many people can relate to. I mean almost 75% of the audience during the opening weekend was over the age of 50 according to Universal Studios. The problem with the reviews that are out there, calling this movie bland and conventional, is that these people can’t relate to it and then they get upset that Tom Hanks isn’t stranded on some island talking to a volleyball or trapped in a life boat with pirates threatening to kill him. This is just an everyday feel good story and it does just that for the viewer, it makes them feel that if Larry can go back to school and be someone then so can I. This is a very good movie. It’s not Oscar material, but it is still good. I would highly recommend that you watch this one.

Check out the preview for yourself here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mERICxC7R9c
Also check this out if you're interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMmSXFDRd48

Be on the look out for my next review. Here's a little preview of what's to come https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=komLl6ly7o4

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