Stuck in Love (R)

“I know it hurts. Nothing hurts like the first one,” narrates William Borgen. Love – both the discovery of it and the reminiscence of its passing are at the heart of “Stuck in Love,” Director Josh Boone’s 2012 effort that combines the age old premise of finding yourself while still holding on for dear life to the things that matter most. And, while 2012/’13 seems to have brought forth a large number of coming of age stories (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Way Way Back,”), “Stuck in Love” hooks us in by painting its characters in a realistic light, using a slow-paced indie formula that leads to more character development and believability than romantic dramas are often used to producing.

The film is about a father reeling from a broken heart, attempting to rebuild his life while doing everything not to drag his children down with him. Greg Kinnear, who plays William Borgen, is the kind of man we may want to be our dad. He’s a writer; cool, laid back, loose on the rules and okay with the occasional beer or joint for his kids as long as they’re safe. His son Rusty (Nat Wolff) is a hopeless romantic and an avid Stephen King fan; his daughter Samantha (Lily Collins), just 19, has already had a book published and is reeling from a broken heart of her own – the divorce of her parents after her mother (Jennifer Connelly) cheated on her father three years ago.

“Stuck in Love” has an interesting, if unique way of looking at relationships, although most of the learning in the film takes place at the hands of Samantha, who, at the film’s opening, appears to be the most jaded 19-year-old you ever saw. Her character seems to have a sixth sense, not for smooth talkers or womanizers, but for those kinds of people that actually like her. “This isn’t going to happen,” she says in one scene to a would-be romantic prospect. “You look like you’re full of romance and good intentions.” She harbors a good amount of anger towards her mother; and even if the movie doesn’t spell out the reason for her icy heart, it’s not hard to detect that the film has some resolutions in the works.

The film’s other characters are interesting as well, such as Louis (played by “The Perks of Being a Wallflower’s” Logan Lerman), an aspiring writer like Samantha, who attempts to break through her defenses and win a date. Likewise, the film introduces an angelic-yet-wintered beauty in Kate (Liana Liberato), a love interest for Rusty, who turns out to be infinitely nicer than her hitherto abusive boyfriend. These are the scenes that build the movie, coaxing its characters towards meaningful change while threatening to disrupt their long-held beliefs. For Rusty, the moment comes at a party, when he sees that the girl of his dreams is not so perfect. For Samantha, this revelation comes later, in the front seat of a car, listening to Elliot Smith’s “Between the Bars” in a scene that is predictable yet sweet, but powerful nonetheless.

The crux of the movie lies in the hands of Kinnear, who effectively washes the bad taste from our mouths from 2012’s “Movie 43” with a portrayal of Borgen that is both malleable and sophisticated. As a writer who instills the importance of life experience to his children, his parenting often takes the tone of advice. “I’m worried you’re not experiencing enough,” he cautions Rusty in one scene. However, when the situation calls for it, he’s puts his foot down, knowing when it’s best to do what is right, even if it is unpopular. Two scenes, one, in which he comes to the aid of one of Rusty’s friends and another as he has a heart-to-heart with Samantha toward the film’s end are the stuff that great performances are made of. Borgen becomes a likeable character, even amidst his own roller coaster of trying to hold on to romantic hope for his ex-wife when the situation more than calls for him to do the opposite.

While the film’s strong suit is clearly the chemistry of its actors and the detail Boone gives them, it’s not without fault as some meandering material breaks up the film during certain scenes. Sometimes this material takes the form of comic relief, as Borgen attempts several methods, some sane and not so sane, to get over his ex-wife, as well as the insertion of more serious material in the form of grief, loss, and problems that take more than good parental advice to fix. However, this seems to enrich Boone’s characters instead of hurting them. There’s pain, but there’s growth. It’s a credit to Boone’s script that the film wisely avoids the temptation for melodrama and uses the material instead to explore its characters’ potential.

“Stuck in Love” is an indie film, there’s no doubt about it, but somehow the film manages to make several spot-on commentaries on coming of age and romance without causing the audience to lose interest in its’ characters. There’s something about a film like this, a film that can hold your attention and connect you to its characters even though you might be of vastly different age or experience. We often forget, amidst bigger budget productions that end with flare or drama, that films don’t have to end with heart wrenching declarations of love to be effective. “Stuck in Love” begins and ends with Thanksgiving; and while not perfect, you feel just a little bit better after watching it, which might be a credit in itself.

– by Mark Ziobro