Stuck in Love (2013)

Movie · 2013 · Drama, Comedy, Romance · 1h 37m · R · English

Curator score: 1.4/10 (97.2K ratings)

A story about first loves and second chances.

Overview

An acclaimed writer, his ex-wife, and their teenaged children come to terms with the complexities of love in all its forms over the course of one tumultuous year.

Ratings

Director

Josh Boone

Production

MICA Entertainment, The Solution, Informant Films

Cast

Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Lily Collins, Nat Wolff, Liana Liberato, Logan Lerman, Kristen Bell, Spencer Breslin, Stephen King, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Rusty Joiner, Barbara Weetman, Alex ter Avest, David Carzell, Zeeko Zaki, Karen Malina, Glen Powell

Where to watch

Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus

Curator Review

Verdict

A soft, melancholy family dramedy with an easy watchability and strong comfort-movie appeal, but also a familiar, sometimes overly polished indie-romance feel. It works best as a mood piece: warm, wistful, and lightly funny, with enough emotional sincerity to carry it even when the writing leans on familiar beats.

Best for

  • viewers who like bittersweet family stories
  • fans of early-2010s indie romance/dramedy
  • comfort-watch seekers
  • people who enjoy literary, introspective characters
  • audiences drawn to soundtrack-driven emotional films

Skip if

  • you want sharp, original plotting
  • you dislike earnest coming-of-age melodrama
  • you prefer romance with more tension or edge
  • you’re allergic to privileged-family dysfunction
  • you want a film that fully escapes its indie clichés

Overview

Stuck in Love is the kind of movie that knows exactly how to be gentle. It moves through a year of romantic disappointment, parental regret, and adolescent self-invention with an easy, autumnal glow, and it has enough charm in the performances to make the familiar material go down smoothly. The film’s greatest strength is its mood: intimate, bookish, and quietly bruised.

Worth noting

It can also feel a little too curated, as if every character has been arranged to deliver a specific emotional note. Some of the dialogue and plotting lean on familiar indie-romance shorthand, and the movie rarely surprises in the way it resolves its conflicts. But if you respond to tender, slightly sad ensemble dramas about love as a messy inheritance, it lands its feelings well.

Bottom line

The soundtrack and the cast help a lot, giving the film a lived-in softness that makes it easy to revisit. It’s not a major work, but it is an effective one: a comfort film for people who like their comfort with a little ache in it.

Top Letterboxd reviews

Marcissus (3★) · 2866 likes

Jennifer Connelly as the mother of Lily Collins, A+ eyebrow inspired casting

time2go (3.5★) · 2564 likes

i would also cry if logan lerman played elliott smith for me in the rain .

parker (3.5★) · 1901 likes

i love aggressively 2012 movies

andrea🌹 (3★) · 1833 likes

this movie pisses me off because nat wolff's character in this is exactly the kind of dumb boy i would have a crush on and seeing all the little details about him and his character just drives me insane because i just know i'd be a total headass for him,,,, the dark curly hair that just falls on his forehead,,, his lankiness and the way he kinda just slinks around,,, the plain jackets worn above plain shirts,,, the old sweatshirts,,,, the mole,,,, the POETRY,,, the stephen king obsession,,, i cant. they gave him everything. this movie read me for filth i cant believe this

mulaney (3.5★) · 1235 likes

if love is setting a place at the table for someone who is never coming home, I think I'll pass.

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Topics

indie drama, romantic dramedy, family ensemble, coming-of-age, bittersweet, bookish, early 2010s, comfort watch, soundtrack-driven, melancholy

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