Film

Stuck in Love

Name: Stuck in Love
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: 2013
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Lily Collins, Nat Wolff, Liana Liberato

A warm, funny ensemble comedy about a literary family untangling love across generations. Writer dad, ex-wife, and their adult kids navigate romance, heartbreak, and self-discovery with genuine affection for one another. It's smart without being smug, heartfelt without sentimentality—the kind of film that trusts you to recognize your own mess in theirs.

TMDb rating

3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy ensemble family films where wry, writerly talk and bruised tenderness sit side by side, and you don't mind people being messy about love.

Skip it if the characters' self-regard and constant talking can wear thin, and if you want a lean, plot-driven story, this one will frustrate you.

What it asks of you: At ninety-seven minutes it moves in loose, conversational scenes rather than set pieces, so it rewards patience with its rhythm more than close plot attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

About a Boy2002

A similar ensemble warmth: a cynical adult forced into authentic connection with younger people, discovering that love isn't optional. The humor is generous and the heart sneaks up on you.

But The indie sensibility can feel studied in spots. Some will find the quirk-adjacent tone dated.

Admission2013

Toni Collette and Paul Rudd's chemistry anchors a story about second chances and the people we become after heartbreak. Quietly assured, genuinely romantic without false notes.

But It's melancholic underneath the charm. The pacing meanders; some find it slow.

The Descendants2011

George Clooney as a grieving father navigating family chaos and unexpected tenderness. Balances comedy and real sorrow with remarkable grace. Sharpest script in this whole vein.

But The emotional weight can feel heavy. It's less a feel-good film than a feel-real one.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Stuck in Love

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Boyhood2014

Both films trust that the quiet accumulation of character moments—arguments, jokes, small recognitions—is enough. Neither needs big scenes. They're about the texture of being in a family, not about resolving it.

Richard Linklater filmed the same family over twelve years. You watch them age, change, disappoint, and love each other in real time. A film about time itself, and how family shapes who we become. Absolutely singular.

But Three hours of naturalistic dialogue with minimal plot. If you need dramatic momentum or clear story beats, this will feel like watching paint dry.

Life as a House2001

Kevin Kline and his estranged son rebuild connection literally and metaphorically. Earnest, moving, unafraid to let characters change. Strong ensemble cast doing real work.

But Occasionally slips into melodrama. The healing arc is fairly straightforward.

Dan in Real Life2007

Steve Carell and Dane Cook in a warm, observant comedy about a family gathering where romantic complications expose what people actually need. Funny and genuinely touching.

But Sentimental at times. The central plot device (romance with a family member's ex) doesn't land for everyone.

The Family Stone2005

Chaotic, funny, and surprisingly moving. A dysfunctional family Christmas where outsiders force everyone to reckon with themselves. Sharp ensemble cast creating real texture.

But Tonal shifts can feel jarring. Some find the ensemble too broad or the family too cruel to root for.

Girlhood2014

Realistic, unsentimental look at female friendship and identity. Céline Sciamma's naturalistic direction lets small moments breathe. Feels like observing actual lives.

But Minimal plot. If you want a conventional narrative arc, this will frustrate you.

Fish Tank2009

A young dancer's ambition collides with family chaos in contemporary London. Raw, intimate performance from Andrea Arnold. Unsparing look at working-class life and thwarted dreams.

But Gritty and sometimes brutal. The ending offers no comfort, and some find the lead character abrasive.

Cyrus2010

John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill in a deadpan comedy about a widower navigating new love and a possessive adult son. Weird chemistry and genuinely funny in unexpected ways.

But The humor is deeply uncomfortable for some. The tone lurches between comedy and darkness unpredictably.

C.R.A.Z.Y.2005

Both explore how love persists despite fundamental incomprehension between generations. Both let parents and children be flawed, confused, trying. Both suggest that showing up is what matters.

Jean-Marc Vallée's masterpiece about a gay son and his devout Québécois father over four decades. Devastating and funny and alive. A film about loving someone you don't understand, from both sides. Absolutely luminous.

But In French with subtitles. Long at 127 minutes. The father's homophobia is painful to watch, even as the film refuses to judge him.

Moonlight2016

Like Stuck in Love, it's fundamentally about how hard it is to be honest with the people you love, and how that struggle defines us. Both films believe that small moments of understanding matter more than grand gestures.

Three chapters of a Black man's life. Intimate, visual, deeply felt. A film about identity, desire, and connection told through texture rather than exposition. Mahershala Ali and Trevante Rhodes create entire worlds of unspoken feeling.

But Oblique and poetic—no one explains anything. If you need direct dialogue to understand emotion, you'll miss most of it. Quiet. Slow. Not uplifting.