And the Oscar goes to... Steve Carell?!

Steve Carell has had a brilliant career so far, starring in some of the most popular comedies in recent times such a Despicable Me, Anchorman, 40 Year Old Virgin and Bruce Almighty. His performances are popcorn chokingly funny, who can forget Anchorman’s Brick confessing his love for lamp or the newsroom scene in Bruce Almighty. As funny as these characters are, you wouldn’t describe them as ground breaking performances worthy of critical recognition.

Carell has shown a glimpse of a more serious and emotional side in a handful of films, such as Crazy, Stupid, Love. where he has to cope with his wife asking for a divorce, and trying to date again – although this is a comedy there are moments of serious emotion as he tries to drag himself out of the dumps. In one of my favourite films of last year The Way Way Back he plays a nasty cheating step-dad, you feel a genuine hatred for his character as he puts down his painfully shy step-son Duncan calling him a 3 out of 10; being able to create such an unlikable character after playing such loveable characters such as Andy from 40 year old virgin is very impressive. He also steals the show in Little Miss Sunshine where he plays the depressed and suicidal Frank. These roles show he is a much more diverse and talented actor than people give him credit for.

After those glimpses of a more serious role he is now about to show us the full thing in his upcoming film Foxcatcher which sees him play wrestling sponsor, multimillionaire and paranoid schizophrenic John DuPont. It seemed a very random casting decision from director Bennett Miller, who admitted he only considered Carell after a lunch with him, and quoting “I think all comedians are dark”. I think Miller is right; there are many comic actors that are perceived in a benign way, who do actually have a more serious dark side. The best example of this is the late Robin Williams; his serious and darker roles were played brilliantly, in particular Good Will Hunting and One Hour Photo.
So far we only have the trailers and hearsay to go by, but many people are now lining him up to win an Oscar… Here is the trailer, comment and share your thoughts, does it look like an Oscar worthy performance?

UK Quad poster for Crazy Stupid Love with Steve Carell, Julianne Moore and Ryan Gosling in high res here:

At fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the dream—good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his “perfect” life quickly unravels. Worse, in today’s single world, Cal, who hasn’t dated in decades, stands out as the epitome of un-smooth.

Now spending his free evenings sulking alone at a local bar, the hapless Cal is taken on as wingman and protégé to handsome, thirtysomething player Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). In an effort to help Cal get over his wife and start living his life, Jacob opens Cal’s eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style that can’t be found at Supercuts or The Gap.

Cal and Emily aren’t the only ones looking for love in what might be all the wrong places: Cal’s 13-year-old son, Robbie, is crazy about his 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica, who harbors a crush on Cal. And despite Cal’s makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that can’t be made over is his heart, which seems to keep leading him back to where he began.

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa directed “Crazy, Stupid Love” from a screenplay by Dan Fogelman. The film is produced by Steve Carell (“Date Night”) and Denise Di Novi (“Nights in Rodanthe”), and stars Carell, Oscar® nominee Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson”), Oscar® nominee Julianne Moore (“Far From Heaven”), Emma Stone (“Easy A”), Jonah Bobo (“Zathura: A Space Adventure”) and John Carroll Lynch (“Shutter Island”), with Academy Award® winner Marisa Tomei (“My Cousin Vinnie”) and Kevin Bacon (“Frost/Nixon”). Analeigh Tipton (upcoming “The Green Hornet”), multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban, Liza Lapira (“Fast & Furious”) and Joey King (“Ramona and Beezus”) also star in the film.

David A. Siegel, Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock are the film’s executive producers. The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Andrew Dunn (“Life as We Know It”), production designer Bill Arnold (upcoming “Little Fockers”), editor Lee Haxall (“Meet the Fockers”) and costume designer Dayna Pink (“Hot Tub Time Machine”). The composer is Christophe Beck (“Due Date”).

A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, a Carousel production, a Di Novi Pictures production, “Crazy, Stupid Love” is scheduled for UK release on 23rd September 2011 through Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

© 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Five new character banners for comedy, Crazy, Stupid, Love! Featuring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Kevin Bacon & more:

At fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the dream—good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his “perfect” life quickly unravels. Worse, in today’s single world, Cal, who hasn’t dated in decades, stands out as the epitome of un-smooth.

Now spending his free evenings sulking alone at a local bar, the hapless Cal is taken on as wingman and protégé to handsome, thirtysomething player Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). In an effort to help Cal get over his wife and start living his life, Jacob opens Cal’s eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style that can’t be found at Supercuts or The Gap.

Cal and Emily aren’t the only ones looking for love in what might be all the wrong places: Cal’s 13-year-old son, Robbie, is crazy about his 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica, who harbors a crush on Cal. And despite Cal’s makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that can’t be made over is his heart, which seems to keep leading him back to where he began.