Like Crazy

Following her presentation, a British student places a lengthy love letter replete with quotes, doodles, and annotations on the windshield of her American classmate's car. Immediately, the two are in love, so much so that she decides to overstay her student visa rather than waiting a few months and then renewing it. Now, having to deal with the huge gap that separates them and the frustrations that go with the U.S. Immigration Department, the two strive to make their relationship work. Drake Doremus's "Like Crazy" was a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival and contains many of the irritating qualities of the films that populate that junket. Doremus uses relentless closeups and a sleek surface to gloss over his underdeveloped characters. We never get to know who the characters played by Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones (who is smarmy, entitled, and really annoying here) are, and instead are just shown a cutesy relationship where the two cuddle, text, talk on the phone, and given each other maudlin gifts. Much of the movie doesn't make sense either, such as why Jones overstayed her visa or (spoiler) the introduction of alternate mates for the two (Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley) who are given no thought by the filmmakers and actually seem to be better partners for the stars! I actually did like the glowing look and feel of this film as well as the closeups which strain to bring a sense of urgency to characters who don't deserve any.