Larry Crowne: A Review
Tom Hanks’ undeniable charm effortlessly carries the film, but it needs a sharper focus to truly come alive.
Larry Crowne (Hanks) finds himself unemployed after being let go from his managerial position at a big-box store due to his lack of a college degree. Unable to find another job, he decides to enroll in community college. There, he makes new friends and begins a romance with his professor, Mercedes (Roberts), who is unhappily married.
It’s hard to imagine what Tom Hanks would have to do to lose his title as a global sweetheart. His almost supernatural likability is so strong that only a live television broadcast of him, say, killing a puppy while waving “Mein Kampf” could possibly pierce the armor of universal love. Hanks’ incredible charisma is what keeps his second directorial effort afloat, despite a meandering and often nonsensical plot.
Plot Overview
While his 1996 film “That Thing You Do!” had a clear narrative drive, “Larry Crowne” is much more diffuse. Crowne, Hanks’ character, is an enthusiastic manager at a major supermarket. After being downsized and struggling to find work, he trades his SUV for a scooter and enrolls at the local community college. He makes a diverse group of new friends, learns life lessons from Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), and begins a relationship with his professor, Mercedes (Julia Roberts).
Strengths and Weaknesses
Crowne is a likable protagonist, someone you can root for. However, the film’s plot bounces around with the same puppy-like enthusiasm. We see Mercedes and her deadbeat husband (Bryan Cranston), attend speech and economics classes (George Takei shines as the economics professor, anchoring these scenes), visit Larry’s neighbors with a group of scooter riders, find him a part-time job, and learn that Talia dropped out of college to open a vintage clothing store. The richness of college and town life is on full display, but how does it all relate to the story of one man – which, judging by the title, is what the film was intended to be? The main character is ignored for so long that key plot lines, such as the love story with Mercedes, feel underdeveloped. While Roberts’ character is well-crafted (a disillusioned, hard-drinking woman on the verge of alcoholism who gradually thaws, unintentionally infected by Crowne’s optimism), more focus on scenes featuring the two of them together would have been beneficial.