We are introduced to Anna (Felicity Jones), a British girl studying English in a college in Los Angeles, and Jacob (Anton Yelchin), a design student and LA native, and watch them meet and fall in love the only way an indie movie couple can: with a romantic montage of intense stares and hand holding accompanied by soft piano music being played over the top. They bond over their love for Paul Simon, Anna writes him letters and poems and complies scrapbooks of their relationship, Jacob designs and makes her a chair for her desk, and he even meets her parents when they come over to visit from the UK. Everything is blissful and effortless, until Anna decides that she doesn't want to spend the summer apart from Jacob, ends up overstaying her student visa and is in turn denied entry back into America after a quick trip back to England for a wedding.
The film feels so authentic when you watch it, like you're watching a real life couple in a documentary rather than two fictitious characters. Upon further research, I learned that a lot of the dialogue was improvised, which is why the whole thing felt so natural. Jones (who took home a Sundance special jury price) and Yelchin's performances were very believable, nothing appeared fake or forced and there was some real natural chemistry between the pair. The soundtrack was especially impressive, guiding you through the various emotional scenes of the film and picking you up when you needed it to.
What I liked about this film is how realistic it is of its portrayal of relationships. It's not like a Hollywood film, where boy meets girl, fall in love, problems arise, but then they live happily ever after. There's no special formula, just an accurate depiction of how relationships in the real world actually work. It's quite similar to (500) Days of Summer in that way, light in the right places but keeping you grounded on the reality of things. Things don't always go according to plan, sometimes you really have to fight hard for the person you love, and it does pay off, however it doesn't mean that cracks won't appear when things go wrong.
The only negative aspect I can really talk about is Anna's nonchalant approach to her visa. I know we all make mistakes when we're young, and love tends to cloud our judgement, but I don't see how someone can be so casual about something as serious as overstaying a visa. Did she not think about the implications? Visa laws are very strict, especially these days, and surely it would have been better to be apart from her boyfriend for three months, and then come back and apply for a work visa, rather than take the risk that she did and, consequently, hardly get to see him at all apart from a few sporadic visits from him over a couple of years. But that's just my opinion.
Regardless, I really did enjoy this film, and I really liked the appearances from Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games), Oliver Muirhead and Alex Kingston (Doctor Who). I understand why it wouldn't be to some people's tastes, but I would definitely recommend anyone to give it an open mind and watch it.
Coincidentally, this review also ties in with Song Friday, with a song from the film's soundtrack. The song is called IMpossible by Figurine, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since watching Like Crazy! I just love how upbeat and dancey it is without it being too in-your-face.
