When Tom Hanks gets fired for not having a college degree in the beginning of Larry Crowne, he’s fired by a bunch of pricks including one who shows up later in the film as a pizza delivery man.
(Which means jerks get their due)
When Hanks decides to go to Community College after leaving his sure-looks-like-Walmart gig, he falls into a speech class taught by Julia Roberts.
(Which means good guys get all the luck.)
When Roberts’ blustery, do-nothing husband runs around drunk and looking at soft porn all day while not quite blogging (“you write comments on others’ blogs,” Roberts berates), you know he’s soon history…..
(Which means beautiful women have no tolerance for crass assholes)
When Hanks befriends Talia (28-year-old British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw) it’s only to lull us into mild amusement over her suggestively teasing him. All the while Svengali-ing him into making over his wardrobe, haircut, and apartment. To have him ride his newly-bought used scooter Tailia and her Scooter gang all over L.A.
(Which means the film is not guilty of having a middle-aged guy hooking up with a college girl because here Hanks is only kidding us. (Her jealous boyfriend would disagree.))
When Hank takes an intro Economics lecture class with a likeable Asian professor who keeps taking his cellphone away and reciting Star Trek quotes.
(Which means Hanks, who grew fond of in-class texting-back-and-forth with Talia, is now on the same cool level of his classmates)
When Cedric the Entertainer, Hanks’ neighbor who has a permanent yard sale on his lawn, is shown bargaining ludicrously for the umpteenth time, we’re reminded the film was co-written by Nia Vardalos, who the made the sophomoric blockbuster My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Hanks co-wrote and directed Larry Crowne (his first since 1996’s That Thing You Do). While he and Roberts demonstrated sharp chemistry in 2007’s Charlie Wilson’s War, here they’re cute to the point of foolishness in a movie that’s more purposeless than amusing.
(Which means I’m happy Tom Hanks is always so cheerful. But it is our funnybones he needs to assuage, our concern for his characters he needs to engage. After all, the highest grossing film actor of all time is no slouch.)
3.5 scooters out of 10
