A doomed young love is tugging at critics’ hearts. Like Crazy is receiving some of the best reviews in a crowded crop of new releases. Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones co-star as a couple of college students who quickly fall for each other but have trouble staying together because of immigration problems.

Associated Press movie critic Christy Lemire gave the movie one and a half stars out of four and was in the minority in her negative review, saying:

“Their exchanges frequently turn pouty and mopey for no good reason; it’s no fun to be in that kind of relationship yourself, but watching two other people behave this way is even more agonizing.”

Puss in Boots is also earning strong reviews. The 3-D animated movie is actually a prequel to the Shrek series, tracing the origin story of the swashbuckling Puss in Boots, voiced as always by Antonio Banderas. Lemire gave the movie three stars out of four, saying, “The franchise reboots anew here, if you’ll pardon the pun, with great energy, creativity and aplomb.”

Also new is The Rum Diary, which is a prequel of sorts to the legend of the late Hunter S. Thompson. Johnny Depp, who starred as the journalist in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas plays a younger version of Thompson as an upstart writer in 1960s Puerto Rico.

AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle gave the movie two and a half stars out of four, saying, “You might expect a tribute such as this to be sycophantic, but director Bruce Robinson (famous for the brilliant cult film Withnail & I) keeps a realistic tone.”

There’s also the sci-fi thriller In Time, which takes place in a future where people stop aging at 25 and time is currency. Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Olivia Wilde are among its stars.

Lemire wrote: “For a movie about the importance of maximizing every second, In Time ultimately grows repetitive and wears out its welcome.”

But she added: “It’s fast-paced and hugely stylish, though, with its great-looking cast and a mix of gleaming, futuristic visuals and grimy, industrial chic.” She gave the film two and a half stars out of four.

ON THE NET
metacritic.com
moviereviewintelligence.com
rottentomatoes.com

Photo: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin in Like Crazy