Like Crazy
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Like Crazy is a 2011 American romantic drama film directed by Drake Doremus and starring Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, and Alex Kingston. Written by Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones, the film is about a British exchange student who falls in love with an American student, only to be separated from him when she's denied re-entry into the United States after overstaying her student visa. The film, which featured fully improvised dialogue, won the 2011 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize.
Plot
Anna Gardner (Felicity Jones), a British exchange student attending college in Los Angeles, meets and falls in love with Jacob Helm (Anton Yelchin), an American fellow student who returns her affections. After graduation, Anna decides to spend the summer with Jacob rather than return to England, unaware of the consequences of overstaying her student visa, which expired at graduation. After returning to London for a family engagement, Anna flies back to Los Angeles, where she is detained, denied entry, and sent back to England by immigration officials for overstaying her original visa.
The couple's passionate love for each other grows strained by the separation and long-distance relationship. Despite her efforts at appealing the immigration decision, Anna is told she is banned from entering the United States. Meanwhile, Jacob leaves behind his successful design business and visits Anna in London for a few weeks. There he learns that Anna's parents have hired an immigration lawyer to try to get the ban lifted. Anna's father suggests that marrying may help their efforts. Jacob is uncomfortable with the suggestion, and the couple struggle with their feelings.
After Jacob returns to the United States, he and Anna grow apart, and soon Jacob begins a relationship with his colleague, Samantha (Jennifer Lawrence). Anna also tries to find a new life for herself, but she is unable to abandon her feelings of love for Jacob. Eventually she phones him from London and tells him they will never find in others what they've found in each other, and that it is right that they marry. Soon after, Jacob breaks up with Samantha and returns to London and marries Anna in a small registry office ceremony with her parents as witnesses—both affirming that they will "never allow anything to destroy the feelings we share for each other". With a tearful parting, Jacob returns to his business in Los Angeles while they wait six months before they appeal the ban on Anna's visa.
Six months later, Jacob flies back to England for the appeal, but they are unsuccessful yet again. With their relationship compromised and no hope of resolving the visa issue, they begin to fight with each other in jealousy and frustration. Jacob leaves England, and soon they are seeing other people. Anna eventually gets promoted at work to the position of editor—something she wanted very much. Her love life, however, is not as positive or fulfilling—her new boyfriend Simon simply does not evoke the same feelings in her as Jacob, whom she still misses.
Sometime later, Anna finally receives her visa. She gives up her job, her current boyfriend, and her apartment and flies to Los Angeles to Jacob, who greets her with flowers at the airport. Their reunion is strained and awkward at first, after being apart for so long. Jacob joins Anna in the shower, and as the water falls over them, they remember scenes from their early life together.
Cast
- Anton Yelchin as Jacob Matthew Helm
- Felicity Jones as Anna Maria Gardner
- Jennifer Lawrence as Samantha
- Charlie Bewley as Simon
- Finola Hughes as Liz
- Oliver Muirhead as Bernard Gardner
- Alex Kingston as Jackie Gardner
- Keeley Hazell as Sabrina
- Chris Messina as Mike Appletree
- Ben York Jones as Ross
- Jamie Thomas King as Elliot
