Stuck in Love is a very nicely done film about a family of writers, each struggling with different aspects of falling in love and staying in love. It has a solid and interesting (if not transcendent or super-moving) story, with pretty good dialog, good pacing, excellent use of its soundtrack, and a cast that works together very well. It’s way better than its preview makes it out to be, and it’s better than critics are telling you. In this (so far) extremely weak year at the movies, it is clearly among the better things I’ve seen.

I am fascinated by actors whose mere presence in a film just seems to make the entire film work better, and Logan Lerman (the Perks of Being a Wallflower kid) is emerging as an actor with that ability. I was really impressed by how much this movie started to jell the minute he arrived on the scene, and it made me wonder if I had underestimated the impact he had on Wallflower. He has suburb delivery and a natural emotional magnetism on screen that somehow focuses whatever scene he’s in in an entirely positive way. Lily Collins benefited enormously from Logan Lerman’s magic. She is a weird, cold, very unevenly convincing actress (sometimes she seems perfect, and the next moment she seems completely miscast,) but acting opposite Lerman disguised these qualities a good bit, and focused attention on the aspects of her presence and performance that were working. I am well aware that no one agrees with me about the natural abilities of Mr. Lerman, but as usual I don’t give a fuck. The kid has got something, I’m telling you!

As for the rest of the cast, Greg Kinnear is always fun to watch, and always fits himself into movies well and appropriately, and Stuck in Love is no exception. Jennifer Connelly’s acting remains a touch bizarre, but the incredible resemblance between her and Lily Collins carries the day, well that and she looks every bit like someone Greg Kinnear would wait forever for, that helps too. Nat Wolff, rebounding successfully from his involvement in the painfully disastrous film Admission, gives a warm and earnest performance as the romantic and somewhat scattered son who falls in love with a drug addict. The chemistry between all the actors is quite strong.

Stuck in Love is way better than The Way Way Back, which I just reviewed a few days ago. I might even watch Stuck in Love again at some point, as it had qualities that were worth re-experiencing. I recommend it!