Typically when romantic comedies are combined with a stellar all-star cast of Hollywood’s biggest stars, some of the ingredients tend to fall flat, which thankfully is not the case for directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s brilliantly executed Crazy Stupid Love.

The film opens with Cal and Emily Weaver (played by Steve Carell and Julianne Moore), a 20-years-plus married couple whose marriage comes to a screeching halt over a mundane date night. When Emily reveals to Cal that she had an extra-marital affair with her co-worker David (played by Kevin Bacon), Cal, unable to handle the sudden revelation, jumps out of their moving car and heads to the nearest swanky bar. While at the bar, Cal witnesses in action a suavely-dressed and confident Jacob Palmer (played by Ryan Gosling), successfully hitting on women and going home with them night after night. After growing tired of Cal’s incessant complaining, Jacob offers to help Cal in his effort to rediscover his manhood.

Jacob completely reinvents a newly-single Cal, changing his entire wardrobe and giving him newfound confidence. Cal even successfully meets and courts a woman, an eccentric school teacher named Kate (played by Marissa Tomei). Even the womanizing Jacob is not immune to falling for a smart, up-in-coming lawyer named Hannah (played by Emma Stone), whom after initially being shot down by Hannah, successfully takes her home where the two share their most personal stories in  lieu of a one-night-stand.

As if life wasn’t complicated enough for Cal, Emily, and now Jacob, Cal’s 13-year-old son Robbie (played by Jonah Bobo) is head-over-heels in love with his 17-year-old babysitter Jessica (played by Analeigh Tipton), who just so happens to be secretly in love with Cal. Robbie is persistent in his pursuit of Jessica, professing his love to her in front of her high school peers to much public embarrassment. Jessica, unable to understand why Emily would divorce someone as nice as Cal, sees it as  her opportunity to win over her crush, and after receiving bad advice from a classmate, the lives of everyone spin even more wildly out of control and come together in one surprising scene.

Crazy Stupid Love is not a typical romantic comedy, as it has layers of characters that overlap and come into each other’s lives, truly showcasing how crazy love can be. The cast has genuine likability and electric chemistry, with both Steve Carell and Julianne Moore believable as a married couple confused and scared about life after marriage. Ryan Gosling, who rarely takes on comedic roles, stands out as the typical playboy who might actually have a heart underneath his six-pack abs. Emma Stone, who has been on fire since appearing in Easy A, shines as a young woman who can’t seem to find the right guy. Child actors Jonah Bobo and Analiegh Tipton often steal moments of the film, as their love stories are the perfect combination of innocent and inappropriate, making for some of the film’s most hilarious moments. Kevin Bacon, Marissa Tomei, and singer Josh Groban all shine in their cameo roles, each impacting the characters in the film in different ways.

Overall, Crazy Stupid Love’s smart script, brilliant casting, and relatable characters make the film one of the best romantic comedies in recent years. It’s a movie that anyone who has been, wants to be, and is in love will greatly enjoy, and the laugh-out-loud moments are also genuinely funny. For tickets and more information about Crazy Stupid Love, visit the film’s official website http://crazystupidlove.warnerbros.com/index.html