Stuck in Love
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJosh Boone
Written byJosh Boone
Produced byJudy Cairo
Starring
CinematographyTim Orr
Edited byRobb Sullivan
Music by
Production
companies
  • Informant Media
  • MICA Entertainment
Distributed byMillennium Entertainment
Release dates
  • September 9, 2012 (2012-09-09) (TIFF)
  • July 5, 2013 (2013-07-05) (US)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$977,671[1]

Stuck in Love is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Josh Boone in his directorial debut. The independent film stars Jennifer Connelly, Greg Kinnear, Lily Collins, Nat Wolff, and Logan Lerman. It focuses on the complicated relationships between a successful novelist, played by Kinnear, his ex-wife (Connelly), their college daughter (Collins), and their teenage son (Wolff).[2] The film began a limited theatrical release in the United States on July 5, 2013.

Plot

Novelist and teacher Bill Borgens still misses Erica, who left him for the younger Martin two years ago. Instead of writing, he spies on them while 'jogging'. His teenaged son Rusty has a secret crush on his classmate Kate, and his daughter Sam is a cynical college student, who prefers superficial one-night stands to a relationship.

On Thanksgiving, Bill still sets Erica a place. Over dinner, Sam announces publication of her first novel. Bill is thrilled, as he's raised them to be writers, but upset it's not the one he's helped her with. Rusty goes to a second dinner with Erica and Martin, but Sam refuses to join, citing Erica's betrayal.

At a bar, Sam's classmate Lou warns her about a sleaze. Despite initially being rebuffed, he persists and they go for coffee. Discussing favorite books, Sam is unnerved by their similar tastes and runs off, fearing a relationship. When Lou doesn't come to their writing seminar, she finds him at his dying mother's house.

Sam, seeing his vulnerability, agrees to go out with Lou. Discussing her novel, she explains that her real mother had sex with another man on the beach and she'd heard Erica was coldly unconcerned if Bill saw them. While listening to Lou's favorite song, Between the Bars by Elliott Smith, Sam begins to cry, afraid of being hurt. Lou promises he won't hurt her, and they kiss.

Rusty reads a poem in class, which is secretly about Kate. As Bill pays his kids to write frequently in their journals he reads Rusty's to check on his progress. When Rusty catches him, Bill says he needs to really experience life to become a better writer.

Rusty and his friend Jason go to Kate's boyfriend Glen's party. He inadvertently sees Kate and Glen doing cocaine, so they start to leave. When they see Glen knock Kate down, Rusty punches him and flees with Kate and Jason. As she can't go home bruised and high, Rusty brings her to his house.

As Rusty is tucking Kate into bed, she guesses his poem was about her, they kiss and begin a relationship. On Christmas Day, they have sex in his closet so it's memorable. Rusty gives Kate a copy of his favorite novel It, and she gives him her favorite album. As she struggles with her addictions, Erica catches her rifling through her medications.

Bill has regular trysts with his married neighbor Tricia, with whom he occasionally jogs. However, he continues to mope over Erica. While Christmas shopping he runs into her and, over coffee, says he'd be a much better husband if given a second chance.

Tricia urges Bill to try online dating, helping him with his look and profile. After a somewhat successful date, he stops by Erica's to leave his wedding ring but he peeks in her window and sees her reading his book. Enheartened, he changes his mind.

At Sam's book-launch, Bill makes a speech about the writing process, quoting What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, his favorite book. Lou invites Erica, who is clearly uncomfortable. Bill encourages her to talk to Sam, insisting she still cares. But when Erica tries, Sam pretends not to know her when signing Erica's copy.

Sam breaks up with Lou for inviting Erica, then gives Kate champagne — unaware of her addiction — who is eventually incapacitated after mixing drugs and alcohol. Sam's classmate Gus takes the vulnerable Kate to his place, so the Borgens track her down. Bill and Erica barge in, finding her unconscious in his bedroom. As they load Kate into the car, Rusty sees that Kate was sexually assaulted, which leaves him in tears.

Devastated, Rusty turns to alcohol and comes home drunk almost every night. While at a convenience store with Jason he runs into Glen, who chases down and beats him. Kate writes Rusty an apology, explaining she's in rehab as she must fix herself. She hopes that one day she could be worthy of him.

Bill, worried about Rusty, suggests he channel his pain into his writing. Rusty asks if he did the same when Erica left, prompting him to ground him. Rusty writes a story titled "I've Just Seen a Face" (after the Beatles song, the one he hears when thinking of Kate). Later, his favorite author Stephen King calls. Sam sent Rusty's story to King, who gets it published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

A frustrated Sam tells Bill he needs to forget about Erica. Bill then confesses he walked out on them when she was a baby for six months and Erica waited for him. He promised that if she ever left him, he'd do the same. When Lou calls Sam when his mother dies, she realizes her own mistakes and how much her mother means to her. She visits Erica and they tearfully reconcile. Sam and Lou get back together, and she helps him through his mother's death.

A year later, Bill has not set a place for Erica at the table for Thanksgiving. A less cynical Sam is back together with Lou. As they sit down to eat Erica comes over and tearfully asks to join them. Bill is taken aback, but happy she has finally come home.

While the family celebrates, Bill again narrates from What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.

Cast

Production

Stuck in Love started shooting in Wilmington, North Carolina in March 2012, primarily in the Wrightsville Beach area.[3] Filming wrapped on April 6, 2012.[4]

On March 6, 2012, it was announced that Lily Collins, Logan Lerman, Liana Liberato, Nat Wolff and Kristen Bell had joined the cast. It was also announced that the film would feature a cameo from Stephen King, as well as actors Rusty Joiner and Patrick Schwarzenegger in supporting roles.[5] In November, the working title of the movie, Writers, was changed to Stuck in Love. In Australia and New Zealand it was released under the title A Place For Me and distributed by Becker Film Group.[6]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 45 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "It struggles to enliven its uneven script, but Stuck in Love boasts enough winning performances from its solid veteran cast to offer an appealing diversion for rom-com enthusiasts." One of top critics commented, "The story, while unsurprising, is also quietly satisfying."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]

Soundtrack

Varèse Sarabande released the Stuck in Love – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on May 21 and on CD and vinyl June 11, 2013. The soundtrack features an original score by Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott (from Bright Eyes), and new songs "At Your Door" (by Mike Mogis and Nathaniel Walcott featuring Big Harp), "You Are Your Mother's Child" (by Conor Oberst) and "Somersaults in Spring" (by Friends of Gemini: Corina Figueroa Escamilla, Nathaniel Walcott and Mike Mogis). Complete song track listing:

  1. "Home" • Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
  2. "At Your Door" • Nathaniel Walcott and Mike Mogis featuring Big Harp
  3. "You Are Your Mother's Child" • Conor Oberst
  4. "American Man" • Rio Bravo
  5. "Polkadot" • Like Pioneers
  6. "Will You Be by Me" • Wallpaper Airplanes
  7. "I Won't Love You Any Less" • Nat & Alex Wolff
  8. "Between the Bars" • Elliott Smith
  9. "The Calendar Hung Itself..." • Bright Eyes
  10. "A Mountain, a Peak" • Bill Ricchini
  11. "Somersaults in Spring" • Friends of Gemini
  12. "Beach Baby" • Bon Iver

References

  1. ↑ "Stuck in Love (2013)". Box Office Mojo. 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
  2. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (January 26, 2012). "Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly to Star in 'Writers'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  3. ↑ Royal, Judy (February 5, 2012). "Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly headed to Wilmington". Star News Online. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  4. ↑ Foss, Cassie (April 5, 2012). "As 'Writers' wraps, actors praise all involved". Star News Online. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Cast set for 'Writers'". Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Becker Film Group". Becker Film Group. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
  7. ↑ "Stuck in Love (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Stuck in Love Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
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