So, coles notes, this film is about a man whose wife randomly tells him that she wants a divorce and how he and the rest of their family deals with that.
The one thing I kept hearing was that, if there's a complaint, maybe that it's a tad too long. Ironically the length was fine - but it was a bit... slow in spots. But it didn't bother me for the most part, mostly because I was just really enjoying the whole thing. What was most impressive in this was simply the writing. Don't get me wrong - the actors are all fantastic - the film itself is stylish and looks great (a big step up from the director's last outing - I'm looking at you 'I Love You Phillip Morris'), but when you see this film, or you revisit it, just notice how well all the threads layer and integrate over one another, and how the film never loses site that it's a comedy - no matter how intense it is at times, heartwarming and emotionally honest, the comedy stays present - it never loses site of that. I do have two issues with the film that I'll mention below so as not to spoil - but by and large this is a fantastic film. I recommend it highly to all.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
Okay. So the two things that bothered me - the twist later on where we discover the greater connected between Gosling and Carrell just felt like a tad bit of a cheat. The third connecting party was well named with a nickname that makes total sense - but their absence otherwise feels a bit forced. Don't get me wrong, it was a wonderful reveal - but the more I thought about it the more it bothered me.
The other thing the scene at the graduation - Carrell standing up in front of everyone was one of the very few times where I felt like the scene was being written a bit - it was a little too perfect how it went down, I found - I think that it didn't match the tone of the rest of the film perhaps and that's what bothered me. Alas - small potatoes. Can't wait to see it again!
(book)