DVD Review: Stuck in Love

I’m always a little dubious of independent romantic dramas.  As someone’s who main interest in cinema involves either superheroes, spaceships or horrific gore, it’s not really a genre I find myself enjoying all that often.

But I have to say, Stuck In Love won me over pretty quickly.

Josh Boone, who makes both his writer and director debut here, shows a clear talent in balancing the humour and drama with not only some pretty blunt comedy but some touching scenes.

Featuring a cast that includes Jennifer Connelly, Greg Kinnear, Lily Collins and Nat Wolff, the film deftly balances the humour, pain, drama and complexities of love in a way not seen since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Greg Kinnear plays divorced novelist Bill Borgens, struggling to overcome the wreck of his marriage and suffering from writers block, while his ex-wife Erica (Jennifer Connelly) is shacked up with a younger man.

Meanwhile, we see the effects of all this on their children.

19 year old Samantha (Lily Collins) is having her first novel published and is so much of a pessimist, she has lost all belief in romance and running away from love, while Rusty (Nat Wolff) her younger brother is trying to find his feet as a fantasy writer while falling in love with the girl of his dreams at high school.

It’s very much an ensemble piece, with each character getting their equal share in the limelight.

Jennifer Connelly and Greg Kinnear as Erica and Bill

However, the real stars of the show are Lily Collins and Nat Wolff as the younger half of the Borgens clan – they more than manage to box their weight against the accomplished likes of Jennifer Connelly and Greg Kinnear.

Kristen Bell also shows up during the proceedings to offer some while timed comic relief as Bill’s neighbour-with-benefits, Tricia.

The soundtrack is also worth a mention and any film that name checks the late great Elliott Smith and The Beatles should be commended in my book.

Stuck in Love is not without faults and like most films of this genre, everything builds up to an event which requires the viewer to accept some minor, yet all seemingly implausible coincidences.

Personally, I find it quite hard to believe that a whole family would choose to be writers and there are some elements of the story that are overlooked and probably worth exploring.

But having said that, the film wraps itself up well within 90 minutes and as a results, the pace flows along quite nicely.  Essentially, it’s shortcomings are easily overlooked by both the blunt script and the charming performance of the cast.

It’s a heart warming piece that doesn’t shy away from its influences.  Honest and entertaining like a good book, Stuck in Love is well worth getting stuck into.

Extras: none

Verdict: [rating=3]