‘Like Crazy’ delivers honest, passionate portrayal of first love

“Like Crazy” isn’t your typical small indie film. Unlike most art house films that fall under the radar, director Drake Doremus’ “Like Crazy” may actually have the rare potential to win over mainstream audiences with its honest, no−frills characters and poignant story of young true love.

“Like Crazy” follows the whirlwind romance between British college student Anna (Felicity Jones) and her American classmate, Jacob (Anton Yelchin), in Los Angeles. When Anna overstays her student visa and is banned from returning to the United States, the couple is forced to maintain a long−distance relationship that neither one of them truly knows how to handle at such a young age.

Frankly, the plot of the film isn’t anything new. Two young people who fall in love and are forced apart by uncontrollable circumstances is the basis for any Nicholas Sparks movie. But “Like Crazy” is not your typical romantic drama, and Doremus makes sure of it. “Like Crazy” is different from other films because of the organic process by which it was produced.

The semi−autobiographical “Like Crazy” loosely portrays the director’s rollercoaster relationship with a woman in London that was also riddled with visa issues, time differences and thousands of miles of land and sea. Most people won’t know this before going to see the film, but none of that really matters. Within the first 15 minutes, viewers immediately get the sense that this isn’t just a fictional tale; it reads like a page out of someone’s life story.

Doremus’ execution of the film is even more impressive, especially considering the film didn’t even have a script. With nothing but a detailed 50−page outline to go by, the director and actors devoted time to do some soul−searching with the characters by delving into the depths of their emotions, back stories and subtext. After a couple of weeks of rehearsal, the film started rolling and Jones and Yelchin improvised all of the dialogue. Yes, all of it.

Yelchin is a natural at improv; he makes it easy for Jones to follow his lead. As for Jones, the intimate vulnerability and openness she brings to the character of Anna rightfully landed her the award for Best Actress at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

Similar to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s characters in “Before Sunrise” (1995) and “Before Sunset” (2004), Yelchin and Jones have an incredible knack for improvisation that makes viewers feel like they’ve accidentally walked in on one of their private conversations. As Jones expressed in the pre−screening QA session, some of the best kinds of movies are the character development films seeped in dialogue — just two people talking with nothing to distract them but their own thoughts and feelings.

In one of the most powerful scenes in the film, the couple visits Catalina during their last days together before Anna has to return to London. The pair sits on a porch overlooking the ocean, and an American flag in the distance divides them on either side of the porch frame. The beauty of the scene lies in the casual innocence of Anna and Jacob’s conversation about tuna fish, as they fail to acknowledge the foreshadowing of their relationship — a symbol of the U.S. government is quite literally coming between them in the backdrop. Although the two are connected in the present, the flag still draws a barrier between them.

While the story follows Anna and Jacob’s relationship from the ages of 19 to 27, the conversations and scenes in “Like Crazy” often appear sporadic, but therein lies the point Doremus is trying to make with this film. Real life isn’t about continuity; it’s about piecing together snippets of moments and conversations.

Originally, the film included timecards before every scene. Luckily, Doremus got rid of this technique because he found the timecards distracting. Instead, Doremus decided to use the film’s jump−cut style scenes to compel the audience to figure out the characters’ progression for themselves. While this might frustrate some moviegoers who are used to being spoon−fed timeframes so as not to be confused with plotlines, “Like Crazy” proves Doremus has a slightly higher respect for the competency of audiences than do most people in the film industry.

Studios were hardly put−off by Doremus’ bold techniques. In fact, the day after it was screened for the first time at Sundance earlier this year, “Like Crazy” was such a hit that Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, the Weinstein Co. and Paramount Pictures all jostled to snatch up the rights to the film. Ultimately, however, it was Paramount Pictures who acquired the art house film for a cool $4 million.

The film’s incredible truthfulness and organic, off−the−cuff dialogue recreate both the passion and pain implicit in a long−distance relationship. With its genuine, candid portrayal of two people in love, “Like Crazy” will hopefully be one of those few art house gems that draws both indie and mainstream audiences to the theaters.

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Interview: Sue Grimshaw, Loveswept editor at large

By Joyce Lamb, USA TODAY

HEA is excited to feature the awesome Sue Grimshaw of Romance at Random (and the former but beloved Borders True Romance blog). Sue has always been a great friend of romance writers and readers as a bookseller. And now she’s a book editor! She’s in charge of the revived Loveswept line at Random House. Remember Loveswept? Big deal back in the ’80s and ’90s. Like, a really big deal. The imprint helped launch the careers of Iris Johansen, Sandra Brown, Janet Evanovich, Kay Hooper, Carla Neggers and Debra Dixon. Pretty impressive, huh? Now, Loveswept is back as a digital imprint that will publish new titles and reissue ones from the past. Sue joins HEA to talk about the new Loveswept. (Oh, and if you stick around until the end of the interview and leave a comment, you could win a digital copy of the new and original Loveswept book Because of You by Jessica Scott.)

HEA: Welcome, Sue! Your title at Ballantine Bantam Dell Publishing is category specialist and editor at large. What exactly does that mean?

Sue: *Grins* Good question. I’m responsible primarily for the Loveswept re-launch which includes: acquiring, editing and promoting original and reissued Loveswept books. In addition, I work very closely with our online marketing group as one of the hosts of the Romance At Random website. I always thought being a bookseller was the best job in the world, however, Random House BBD have since proven me wrong … I love my job.

HEA: How is this job different from what you did as a bookseller at Borders?

Sue: Category Specialist Editor At Large for Ballantine Bantam Dell/Loveswept is a very different job from that of a bookseller, yet very much the same. I’m still involved within the industry, traveling to various RWA chapter group meetings and conferences; I continue to interact with readers and authors and have maintained a blog forum similar to that of Borders True Romance Blog with Romance At Random. The primary difference is that I work directly with our associate publisher, Gina Wachtel, and together we buy the books that we believe readers want to read. Having almost 16 years on the book-selling side of the industry I had amazing insight into the trends and was able to monitor customer reading preferences. As editor at large, I get to buy those unpublished manuscripts and help make them the books readers want to read. I still have to pinch myself daily to make sure this is really happening. : )

HEA: Loveswept was huge many years ago. What happened to it and why?

Sue: In the ’90s the line was dissolved primarily because of the market trends at that time. When you think about it, so much has changed in the last 20+ years. In the digital world, there are no restrictions – shelf space is unlimited in the clouds; there is no upfront cost for online retailers to merchandise the books, so as you can see the environment is perfect for a new digital imprint such as Loveswept.

HEA: Why revive Loveswept as a digital imprint instead of starting a digital line with a new name?

Sue: Loveswept had such a strong following and even today the brand recognition is huge and the re-launch has been very well received. Because of Loveswept’s high regard we thought readers past and present would like to see its resurgence.

HEA: What kind of stories are you most interested in for Loveswept?

Sue: Everything. : ) Great romances: powerful characters, strong emotion, great dialogue, excellent pacing, in any sub-genre. We want to publish it all – from contemporary to paranormal and beyond.

HEA: What is it about romance readers that you love so much?

Sue: The romance genre is a passion for me, as well as a great job. The romance reader is like you and I – living a normal life looking to relax every now and then with a good story that makes you happy. Romance readers enjoy books, and many of them are not afraid to talk about what they like and don’t like in their stories – I love that interaction, and it is something we are actively creating a community for; one we welcome and nurture on www.romanceatrandom.com.

HEA: What is it about romance authors that you love so much?

Sue: The wonderful stories they write, of course! These ladies are some of the most intelligent, business-savvy people that not only know their market but know their readers too. It is always such a pleasure to interact with authors as we both have the same interest – to deliver a great book to romance readers and that is what makes it so much fun.

HEA: Loveswept is publishing original books, too. Can you tell us about this week’s release, Because of You?

Sue: I’m so proud of our original Loveswept release, Because of You by Jessica Scott. Here’s a preview on our recently released book trailer. The story is military-based, packed with emotion and is a true love story. Some of the quotes we’ve received by best-selling authors include:

“Jessica Scott is an exciting new voice in romantic fiction who bursts upon the scene with an unputdownable debut novel! ” — Robyn Carr

“Edgy and current — and a truly satisfying love story. Put this book, Jessica Scott’s Because of you, on your ‘must-read’ list.” — Suzanne Brockmann

“Jessica Scott writes with a soldier’s heart. Because of You is touching, authentic and a fantastic read.” — Cindy Gerard

Readers can find Because of You at these fine retail stores. This is the first in a wonderful series. If you like Susan Mallery, Robyn Carr or Lori Foster, you’ll love this book!

HEA: Please tell us what readers can expect from Loveswept in the next several months.

Sue: Many wonderful reissues and more original releases will be published from our Lovswept line over the next few months.

Look for Ride with Me by Ruthie Knox, on sale 2/13/2012 — a sexy romp across America and, believe me, it is NOT about the bike. That’s a sneak peek at the cover (not yet final) at right.

Jessica’s second book in the Coming Home series, Back to You, will be out in spring with Book 3, Until There Was You, in stores in the fall. Debut author Elisabeth Barrett has a wonderful contemporary small-town series coming up in July, featuring the Grayson brothers: Think Chesapeake Bay quartet from Nora Roberts, and you’ll get a good idea of what Elisabeth’s heroes are like – yum!

And, we just signed our first historical romance series for later in 2012. So much more is pending that I only wish I had more hours in the day. There are so many great authors out there and so many wonderful stories readers will love — so keep an eye out as there is lots in store for Loveswept!

Thanks HEA team for hosting a week of Loveswept. And, remember: Every day is a giveaway. Two commenters will receive a free digital copy of Because of You.

Happy Romance, SueG

HEA readers, be sure to comment below to enter to win an e-book. And while you’re commenting, maybe you’d like to share a favorite Loveswept memory.

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