Why "Larry Crowne" deserves a second chance.
The entertainment medium of film is a pretty interesting one. On one hand, it can be used to tell very compelling stories (i.e. âCitizen Kaneâ) while on the other, it can be used to showcase technical achievements (i.e. âThe Wizard of Ozâ, âAvatarâ). Weâve seen films polarize audiences (such as âPrometheusâ and âMatrix Resurrectionsâ) and even bring them together (i.e. âSpider-Man: No Way Homeâ). Films can often make for an incredible escape from reality (such as The Marvel Cinematic Universe) or a commentary on the world we live in (like both versions of âCandymanâ). Like many forms of entertainment, films can leave an incredible impression on others.
Have you ever had that one movie that you felt truly changed your life? Or that one film that caught you at the right time and established your worldview? I have and the film in question is a little movie from 2011 starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts called âLarry Crowneâ. While I will be going in-depth on certain plot elements that I felt that I could relate to, that does come with major spoilers for this film. If you have either A) not seen âLarry Crowneâ and care about the film being spoiled or B) cannot, at the moment, handle these heavy topics being discussed, I do not recommend reading beyond this point. For everyone else, Letâs proceed.
The Plot
The film is about a middle-aged divorced man named Larry Crowne played by Tom Hanks. Working all his life in retail at a local U-Mart, Larry is suddenly laid off due to both his age and his limited educational background. Tossed to the wolves in the form of a punishingly bad economy, Larry decides to enroll at a local community college. At the college, Larry attends a Public Speaking class being taught by professor Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts) who spends most of her days drinking her way through a miserable marriage with her immature husband Dean (Bryan Cranston). Larryâs warm and disarming presence plays a role in him establishing friendly relationships with his classmates and a group of free-spirited misfits led by his economics classmate Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw).
My Thoughts on the film
When I first saw the ad for this film on TV back in the summer of 2011, I honestly didnât care at all about this film. I had more enthusiasm for big-budget CGI slugfests like âTransformersâ and âGreen Lanternâ (donât ask) than I did for cutesy little Tom Hanks movie. After all, I was 16 at the time as opposed to the filmâs target audience which I assume was about anyone over the age of 40. I initially thought of this film as 20th Centuryâs âX-Menâ for the âDownton Abbeyâ crowd. Thankfully, I was wrong.
âLarry Crowneâ is definitely a conventional movie and Tom Hanks acts better than he directs. Despite that, however, Itâs also an uplifting film about being true to yourself no matter how bad life treats you. Itâs a movie about starting over and discovering your true purpose. It is also about rediscovering your passion and learning how to care. Best of all, itâs a film that normalizes forgoing a monolithic path of success and, in the end, even encourages it.
The cast is all-around great: Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts have excellent on-screen chemistry and play their parts incredibly well. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wilmer Valderamma are pretty likable and charming as the leaders of the free-spirited biker gang. Even though heâs not in the movie very much, I liked Bryan Cranston as Mercedesâ sleazy husband. Cedric The Entertainer and Taraji P Henson bring a few laughs and warmth to the film as Larryâs neighbors. Standouts in this film also include George Takei as Larryâs hard-nosed economics instructor and Rami Malek as the class clown, both of whom managed to bring the most laughs out of the film.
My story with âLarry Crowneâ.
It was the summer of 2012 and I was approaching my senior year of high school. Throughout most of my days in high school, I had a lot of mental health issues, mostly pertaining to anxiety and depression. Granted, I was also a teenager in America where hormones and hubris seem to fly off the handle at a momentâs notice but some of my issues cut deep back then. In school, I spent 4 years being a fish out of water: I barely knew anyone and I also had a plethora of vulnerability issues. Worst of all, I had no clue what I was going to do with my life.
Initially, I wanted to work in the film industry and even looked at schools for filmmaking. I also thought about going to Scranton University for creative writing at one point. I felt like I was on an 18-year time limit: I needed to know what I wanted to do by April of 2013. The only problem is that I couldnât afford to go to a 4-year college. I also didnât have a car/driverâs license either. I felt like a loser: no car, no job, no college of choice, I might as well be a worthless bum.
After watching âLarry Crowneâ, I felt that I had a lot in common with Larry. Granted, Larry is a middle-aged divorced man who was laid off from his job while I was an arrogant and naive high school student. Still, Larry had to figure out how to get through his situation and even surrounded himself with great people along the way. I had to figure out what I was going to do but, I also needed to do so for myself. Larry showing up for community college and rediscovering himself along the way inspired someone like myself who still has a lot more to learn.
The film isnât just about the rediscovery of oneâs self but, also about reigniting your passion and doing what makes you truly happy. Examples of this include Talia dropping out of school at the end of the film to start her own thrift shop and Mercedes leaving her miserable marriage and rediscovering the joy she lost in her job as a teacher. Larryâs warm and positive demeanor rubs off on everyone around him. Mercedes was ready to give up on her job and mail it in until Larry showed how much he cared about her class. He even brings that kind of energy to the rest of the class by the time they take their finals.
I initially started out going for healthcare but, I went through a series of changes: Sales, retail management, and now, writing. My journey to becoming a writer is long and complicated but, I knew that I had it in me. I knew this all the way back in 5th Grade when I wrote my first Screenplay and in my senior year of high school when I took a creative writing class. With the former, I was inspired by the horror movies I watched to write my own. As for the latter, I initially took that class (as well as a few others) just to hoard credits. Granted, The screenplay (which I sadly lost a while back) was obviously written by a ten-year-old but, I did have quite a blast with creative writing. It was a class where I truly felt like I was myself.
When I started my senior year of high school, I initially forgot about the message that âLarry Crowneâ conveyed because I was still a teenage guy with teenage distractions. I rediscovered the film during the dark times of the quarantine era of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. I felt like a complete failure of a person by then and I was forced to confront that part about myself. This time, there were no distractions nor anywhere to go (save for work and the grocery store). Upon rewatch, I not only loved the film as much as I did back then but, I also felt like I could relate to Larry having to start over and learn from his loss. I lost a consistent social life and a ton of hours from work while Larry lost his job of 20+ years. Both of these losses came at situations that were out of our respective hands.
It was through a community college that Larry overcame his loss and thrived as a cook, rediscovering the passion he had for cooking during his time served in the Navy. It was through the friends I met through Twitter that I rediscovered my passion for writing. I utilized what little platform I had to elevate and support political candidates such as Andrew Yang, Aarika Rhodes, and Lindsey Boylan. I befriended other writers online who I would put on my laundry list of inspirations. I, like Larry Crowne himself, had to find my true self in the face of adversity.
In Conclusion
The biggest takeaway from âLarry Crowneâ is that starting over isnât a sign of failure or incompetence, itâs a part of personal growth. Larry was forced to hit restart due to economic displacement while I had to hit restart during the early days of COVID-19. It doesnât matter how old you are, restarting in life is nothing to be ashamed of. Human beings do not come from an assembly line. If I continued down the path of going through med school and being either a nurse or an X-ray tech, I would be absolutely miserable. Those who work in healthcare are far better than me: I could never do what they do every day. The real meaning behind âLarry Crowneâ is simple: no matter how many times you get it wrong, you are never too late. Larry never once compromised himself on his personal journey and neither should you.