Larry Crowne

Tom Hanks’ first directorial effort since 1996’s That Thing You Do!, Larry Crowne follows the title character (Hanks) as he enrolls at a local community college after being fired from his retail job – with the movie subsequently detailing Larry’s journey of self-discovery as he befriends a group of students and eventually falls for a teacher (Julia Roberts’ Mercedes). There’s little doubt that Hanks does a superb job of capturing the viewer’s interest right from the get-go, as the filmmaker opens the proceedings with an irresistibly peppy credits montage that effectively (and immediately) transforms Hanks’ affable character into a sympathetic, thoroughly compelling protagonist. (It certainly doesn’t hurt that Hanks hasn’t been this effortlessly charming and personable within a live-action context since 1998’s You’ve Got Mail.) And although the first half of the movie is often bogged down by the aggressive quirkiness of Hanks and Nia Vardalos’ script (ie there’s a sitcom-like feel to many of the jokes and gags), Hanks’ pervasively easygoing modus operandi ultimately proves effective at compensating for the sporadically less-than-authentic nature of certain elements within the screenplay (eg Larry’s neighbor, Cedric the Entertainer’s Lamar, is operating a perpetual yard sale). There’s little doubt, however that the film does improve steadily as it progresses, as Hanks offers up a comparatively down-to-earth third act that boasts a number of heartfelt and surprisingly emotional moments – with the feel-good finish cementing Larry Crowne‘s place as a breezy, consistently engaging piece of work. (It’s also worth noting that the film’s complete and total absence of cynicism is actually fairly refreshing in these sardonic times.)

***1/2 out of ****