"Stuck in Love is one of those films that seems to be as concerned about appearing intelligent and name dropping popular culture, than it does about actually entertaining the viewer"

Josh Boone's directorial debut Stuck in Love begins rather pretentiously, as we are introduced to our leading trio of actors while the dialogue they speak appears written up on screen, like a karaoke. Sadly this sets the precedence for how the rest of this picture will play out, as a film that is self-conscious and forcefully quirky. In the very first scene you can predict exactly what is going to happen in the last, so seriously, save your time and skip everything that happens in between.

We meet hapless single father William Borgens (Greg Kinnear), a successful author who is struggling to get over his wife's (Jennifer Connelly) decision to leave him for a younger man. William's two kids, Samantha (Lily Collins) and Rusty (Nat Wolff) are aspiring writers themselves, but while deciding what to do with the rest of the lives, first they must address the present day, and while the former is fearing the notion of falling helplessly in love when she meets admirer Lou (Logan Lerman), the latter is also wrapped in a love affair on his own, with high school sweetheart Kate (Liana Liberato), as we watch on as this tumultuous year takes its toll on this seemingly ordinary family.

Stuck in Love is one of those films that seems to be as concerned about appearing intelligent and name dropping popular culture, than it does about actually entertaining the viewer. With so many needless references to novelists and their works, you just feel as though Boone is forcing his own taste on you, in a similar vein to how Liberal Arts managed last year. That said, unlike the aforementioned title, or Juno, for example, Stuck in Love is somewhat more barefaced, and wears its heart on its sleeve. It's not quite so concerned at being "cool". For example, when the characters discuss their favourite songs, they opt for The Beatles, not Sonic Youth.

Such an approach taken by Boone leads to a rather contrived script however, as every line feels forced and the dialogue so unnatural. For a film written about writers, and one that appears to have a real love for literature, this bears a pretty poorly constructed screenplay. Not a single one of the relationships we are following feels at all genuine or authentic, and it becomes difficult to invest in them, and therefore root for them, while they're painfully predictable too. The first half of the picture is certainly better than the second though, as while we progress deeper into the story and the more sentimental and melodramatic scenes appear, that is when the flaws become prominent, as the emotional sequences are amateurishly dealt with. The combination of below-par performances and a lacklustre screenplay makes it difficult to comprehend how any of these characters are literary geniuses either. They just don't come across as intelligent or witty people. I bet their books are rubbish.

There is a natural tendency to want to support independent cinema, as young, aspiring filmmakers should be encouraged to go out there and make movies. But sometimes it's difficult to show too much conviction or commitment to the cause when they're as disappointing as Stuck in Love.