Like Crazy

“Like Crazy” is a love story. Like all love stories, it has happy moments and sad moments. But “Like Crazy” has another quality—it teaches us about the love, commitment, and sacrifice Paul describes so beautifully in the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians.

The story centers on two college students, Jacob and Anna, who meet and become friends. After a short time, the couple falls in love. (It is refreshing nowadays to see a love affair begin with friendship.) Though sexual scenes are certainly present in “Like Crazy,” including a shared shower, short scenes of lovemaking, and a couple of scenes of non-graphic nudity, the overall theme is the struggle to maintain a relationship despite adversity.

Anna is in the United States on a student visa, and, as she is graduating, she needs to return to the UK for a short time in order to re-enter the US on an employment visa. At this point, the couple is passionately in love, and Anna impulsively decides not to return home—she would rather stay with Jacob and return to England at the end of the summer. Unfortunately, Anna’s unwise decision leads to her being deported.

Jacob and Anna carry on a long distance relationship, and continue to make impulsive decisions that lead them further from a solution to their situation. Eventually, in a move reminiscent of the 1990 film “Green Card,” as a way for Anna to stay in the United States, the couple decides to marry. Unfortunately, the slow-moving and stubborn bureaucracy continues to frustrate them and their desperate desire to be together. The cinematography of the film beautifully depicts the agony of Jacob and Anna’s interminable waiting, with short cuts of their solitary characters wandering through crowds or sitting opposite empty chairs. The montage sequences also show the passage of time and the loneliness of their lives.

Unfortunately, due to the constant absence from each other, Anna and Jacob’s relationship begins to disintegrate, as each seeks to fill the emptiness with other partners.

These relationships are very sad, as Jacob and Anna, due to the fluctuation and up-and-down nature of their own situation, continually hurt their current partners. Eventually, all four characters are unhappy with their lives and with each other.

In the end, Jacob and Anna find they have betrayed each other. They did not learn to think of the other before themselves. Love is a choice not based solely on the constant presence of a loved one or on the feelings of happiness received within a relationship.

This movie could be useful for some parents to view with their older teenagers, as there are several lessons to be learned from the couple’s foolishness and sins. First, we must remember to trust in the LORD and not our own understanding, to make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Also, Jacob and Anna have much to work through in their marriage, including commitment despite adversity and honoring each other (Romans 12:10). Parents might suggest that perhaps Anna and Jacob are unable to change their circumstances because they have broken faith with each other, forgetting that a husband and wife are expected to keep their marriage covenant (Malachi 2:13-14). What is true love?

Is it possible for men and women truly to love “like crazy?” Certainly. But the greatest love comes from God:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

And what love is better than that?

Violence: None / Profanity: Moderate—OMG (2), “My G_d,” “Oh for G_d’s sakes,” “Oh G_d,” f-word (1), sh_t (3) / Sex/Nudity: Moderate to heavy (PG-13)—(couple under the covers / shared shower / couple in bubble bath—female wearing top / female in bra and panties / passionate kissing / non-graphic shots of couples having sex—facial reactions, heavy breathing, some movement)

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.