Larry Crowne
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Comedy drama about the amiable Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks, who also directs), a middle-aged fellow who is made redundant from his job during a recession. Behind on his mortgage and needing to up-skill, he returns to college. There, he develops a crush on his public-speaking teacher (Julia Roberts) who has lost her passion for her job, her husband and her life.
Starring
Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bryan Cranston, Cedric the Entertainer, Wilmer Valderrama, Taraji P. Henson, Nia Vardalos, George Takei
Directed by
Tom Hanks (TV's 'Band of Brothers', 'That Thing You Do!')
Written by
Tom Hanks, Nia Vardalos
(M) contains offensive language | Comedy, Drama, Romance | USA | Official Website
USER REVIEWS
Add your two cents...
Average rating 
a nice story
Reviewed by angemild
Hanks acted well but had little story to act to. Pretty boring.
Reviewed by chris stringerPRESS REVIEWS
Average rating
A.V. Club
The story feels half-considered, the relationships thin, and the direction visually indifferent.
Click to read full review.Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
The screenplay carries blandness to a point beyond tedium.
Click to read full review.Empire (UK)
This one coasts by on Hanks' immense appeal and charm, but more focus and a touch more sharpness are needed to make it really come alive.
Click to read full review.Hollywood Reporter
Every scene is on the prowl for laughs at the expense of the inherent drama in the lives of its colorful characters.
Click to read full review.New York Times
A rom-com fairy tale so tepid and well behaved that watching it feels like being stuck in traffic as giddy joy-riders in the opposite lane break the speed limit. You have little choice but to cool your heels and pretend that the parched crabgrass in the median is a field of flowers.
Click to read full review.NZ Herald (Francesca Rudkin)
It's sweet, bordering on mushy, and while it's a nice reminder that life in a recession doesn't mean the end of the world, overall Larry Crowne is more cringeworthy than uplifting.
Click to read full review.Total Film (UK)
As lightweight as a salad and about as filling, this is amiable but predictable. Tom and Julia are as solid as ever but, like Hanks’ direction, they won’t be winning any awards.
Click to read full review.Variety (USA)
Movie stars may be less valued than they used to be, but it's still puzzling to see Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts stuck in a romantic comedy as flat-footed and tone deaf as Larry Crowne.
Click to read full review.Flicks.co.nz "Larry Crowne" Movie Review
Flicks.co.nz rating
Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz
The global credit crunch continues to provide cinematic source material, this time for Tom Hanks, pulling double-duty as director and lead actor in this fish-out-of-water comedy about a middle-aged man who goes back to college in an attempt to up-skill in a competitive job market.
Hanks has long been one of the best A-listers at portraying everymen and here he turns in another solid performance in that role. The problem is how old fashioned and flat the material he’s working with feels. For a movie about contemporary issues, it sure isn’t afraid to use a dated comedic style. The supporting cast is rounded out by youth market stereotypes that allow the film to dredge up plenty of comic clichés, with only romantic interest Julia Roberts able to provide any real support. She’s a veteran in this type of material and has a character that can introduce bitterness and cynicism into what is otherwise a ridiculously sweet tone.
This is a movie that shows its age, or more accurately the age of its creators. If you’re of the same generation of Hanks and Roberts, it should appeal. Younger audiences might find the only laughs to be ironic ones at the way they themselves are portrayed.
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