J Bur I don't understand the low star count (6.1 as of this review). This is a good movie with a good story, good acting, nice people, and what should have been a breakthrough performance for Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Talia, who lit up the screen with her charisma and effervescent smile. (Maybe it was. She's been busy since this movie.) Tom Hanks, Wilmer Valderrama, Bryan Cranston, Rita Wilson, and Julia Roberts are all excellent too. If you want murder, explosions, criminals, and cruelty look elsewhere. If you want a pleasant, fun, enjoyable movie with likable characters with redeeming qualities with whom you can identify and for whom you can root, this is it.

Alfred Smith I believe this movie to be very underrated and cannot understand why. I loved the story and characters. They were all so real and very funny. Hanks and Roberts were simply great but the whole cast did an impressive job and George Takei as the economics lecturer, Dr. Matsutani, was absolutely hilarious. OK the story is predicable and so was the ending, but I didn't care. It's a fun ride that's not to be taken seriously, so just sit back and enjoy this wonderful comedy.

Python Hyena Larry Crowne (2011): Dir: Tom Hanks / Cast: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Cedric the Entertainer, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, George Takei: Here is a film with a strong message about the underdog that doesn't quite measure up. It begins with promise where Crowne is downsized from his job. From there he figures that he needs education so he heads to college where he falls in love with his married teacher. This is where the film grinds to a halt. Hanks directed That Thing You Do fifteen years ago and it was a decent effort. Here again he applies his craft to a less successful screenplay. Hanks fares well as the underdog who must pull himself out of his situation. He appears to be a good worker with gentleman qualities who can even influence a local gang. Julia Roberts as his teacher makes a great effort in what amounts to your standard romantic tease. She kicks her husband out when she becomes fed up with his porn surfing but this relationship is handled as a very bad comic after thought. Once she is free then she and Crowne get it on outside her apartment and it is boring as hell. Gugu Mbatha-Raw has a wasted role as a young female who introduces Crowne to her biker friends. Cedric the Entertainer plays his neighbor whose job appears to be to have a constant running yard sale. George Takei is terrific as a teacher whose stern views of cell phones in class becomes apparent when Hanks crosses the line more than once. There is a message here regarding overcoming the odds and succeeding but this film succeeds at nothing other than to take two bankable actors and place them within a tired charade. Score: 4 ½ / 10

Troy Putland Larry Crowne is Tom Hank's second film as a director. It's a feel good film with a big heart from its lead man. Financial cuts force Larry (Hanks) into losing his job. This hot topic is brushed aside as Larry stays positive by attending college. He meets some weird and wonderful people, including a young, free spirit who changes everything in Larry's life; his hair style, his fashion sense, even the layout of his living room. Larry's on a journey to reinvent himself. He gets a new job, stays focused in college and has a thing for the teacher (Julia Roberts). Julia Robert's relationship with her husband is nearing its end and never quite fits in with the rest of the film. Ultimately not much happens. The movie never escalates, only simmers. If it weren't for Hanks and Robert's ability to act out greatness from a weak script, Larry Crowne would be worse off. By the time it hits its happy, sure-fire ending all involved will be wondering what Larry Crowne's point was.