Down and depressed, Cal starts drinking away his sorrows at a local bar, attempting to make sense of his predicament with anyone who will listen. Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) have hit a rough patch in their long-time marriage, and Emily inadvertently announces to an entire restaurant that she wants a divorce. But instead of tripe, I got one of the most unexpected surprises I have seen all year. Going into an advanced screening of the film earlier this week, I had my doubts that it would be anything outside of generic.

This may come as a shock to some (as it surely took me aback) but there is no other way to describe it. is one of, if not the best, American romantic comedies of the past decade.