It was clear from the moment he delivered a scene-stealing performance as rival news anchor Evan Baxter in Bruce Almighty that Steve Carell had a big future ahead of him in Hollywood comedy, and he’s largely delivered on that front, even if sequel Evan Almighty bombed spectacularly at the box office with the actor bumped up to center stage.
After an endlessly quotable turn in Anchorman, Carell was given top billing in Judd Apatow’s The 40 Year-Old Virgin, which was a massive critical and commercial success. His career then went from strength to strength thanks to him headlining the first seven seasons of The Office, winning a Golden Globe in the process.
The 58 year-old has since gone on to star in a series of hugely popular movies and television shows and deftly balanced the dramatic with the comedic, with one of his most popular efforts currently blowing up on Netflix. Star-studded romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love sees Carell take the lead opposite the esteemed likes of Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon, in a smash hit that raked in $145 million globally on a $50 million budget, one that was widely praised by critics.
The plot follows Cal Weaver (Carell), a seemingly happily married man who discovers his wife has been unfaithful, causing his life to come apart at the seams and forcing him to enter the dating pool on the wrong side of 40, where he meets Gosling’s Jacob Palmer who teaches him how to be a player. It’s a relatively formulaic premise, but a game cast and some sharp writing have seen Crazy, Stupid, Love find a new life on Netflix a decade after it was first released.
Published: Mar 3, 2021 06:42 pm