You just cannot help but love Tom Hanks. How could you not? He seems like a nice, grounded guy and his body of work is impressive and hard to compete with. He is a man of many talents and he showcases those in Larry Crowne. He stars in it, he co-wrote it, and he is the director. Not since That Thing You Do has he directed a film. Larry Crowne may appear to be simple and light-hearted, and it is. At the same time, it works on so many levels by telling a story not only about a guy becoming unemployed or going back to college so late in life, but a story about staying positive and never giving up. This film is about reinventing oneself and finding new reasons to live your life.
Larry Crowne (Hanks) loves his job at a store with a Wal-Mart likeness to it . He loves going to work and interacting with customers and being able to help them in their quest to find that perfect product. And we all know how rare it is for someone to actually love waking up and going to work, but Larry does. Until he is fired because he never went to college and does not have a degree. Instantly, the job that gave him so much happiness is gone. He is recently divorced and has no money, and now has no job as well.
But even all of that cannot keep Larry down. He decides to go to a community college and there he forms a crush on his public-speaking teacher, Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts). He also forms a special bond with a much younger student Alvarez (Roxana Ortega). She is a huge part of Larry’s reinvention and updating his new life starting with a haircut, some new clothes, and being a member of a scooter gang.
Roberts is wonderful as a teacher who has given up on not only her husband (Bryan Cranston) but her profession as well. She feels she doesn’t make a difference in any of her student’s lives and so she turns to margaritas just to get her through the day. And seeing her share the screen with Hanks for only the second time in their long, successful careers is something to see and enjoy. There was never a doubt that their chemistry would be amazing. They are two of the biggest stars who can make you laugh or cry or maybe a little bit of both while never letting their egos get in the way.
Hanks’ performance is subtle but he brings a lot of heart to the “common man” character. Larry is a guy who seems to have lost it all. He gets knocked down but is able to get up again with a little bit of help. He still has a lot of learning and living left to do. As a director, he keeps the film simple and straightforward. He keeps the story about Larry and his growth as a man and a human being. And because of that, we get to see how he affects the people around him.
Larry Crowne is a light, breezy movie that is purely enjoyable due to its cast and the story of one man’s journey to find new reasons to live. It is heartfelt and meaningful. Now you can’t go wrong with something like that.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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