November’s best comedy DVD releases take a comic look at life cycle changes with all kinds and ages of people. This month’s top selections include a mid-life crisis (Crazy Stupid Love), a young man’s body swap comedy (The Change-Up), and a lonely man from a dysfunctional family desperate for love (Beginners).
Crazy Stupid Love (Widescreen and Blu-ray)
As a long-standing marriage falls apart, a new romance blossoms as two generations mix and mingle in this clever comedy. At the center of the action is the nerdy Cal, a middle-aged man dumped by his wife who gets “cool” lessons from young stud Jacob, a regular at the local bar. Even the kids experience love as Cal’s young son develops a hopeless crush on his much-older babysitter.
- Starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon, Analeigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, Joey King, Josh Groban
- Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
- Writer: Dan Fogelman
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Run Time: 118 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for coarse humor, sexual content, and language)
- DVD Release Date: November 1, 2011
The Change-Up (Widescreen and Blu-ray)
Two best friends magically exchange bodies and lives after urinating into a fountain during a drunken night on the town. An uptight married attorney and a freewheeling single actor suddenly find themselves living each other’s lives until they can find the solution to their predicament. The humor in this raunchy comedy focuses on two fish out of water, and pushes the limits of previous body-swap comedies that involved different aged people or opposite-sex switches.
- Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde, Leslie Mann, Alan Arkin, Mircea Monroe, Gregory Itzin, Ned Schmidtke, Ming Lo, Craig Bierko
- Director: David Dobkin
- Writers: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
- Genre: Comedy
- Run Time: 113 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R (for pervasive strong crude sexual content and language, some graphic nudity and drug use); also unrated version available
- DVD Release Date: November 8, 2011
- Additional Information: Click here to visit the official website and watch a trailer for The Change-Up.
Beginners (Widescreen and Blu-ray)
Shortly after his father’s death, Oliver, a graphic artist with a fear of intimacy, meets an interesting woman. As their relationship begins its tentative first steps, he reflects on his parents’ marriage, which sheltered his gay father for 45 years. The question becomes whether or not Oliver can overcome his dysfunctional family and establish a healthy loving relationship with the free-spirited woman who entered his life.
- Starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Mary Page Keller, Kai Lennox, Keegan Boos, China Shavers
- Director: Mike Mills
- Writers: Mike Mills
- Genre: Romantic Comedy Drama
- Run Time: 105 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R (for language and some sexual content)
- DVD Release Date: November 15, 2011
To learn more about any of these films, visit Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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