Love is an array of appropriately sarcastic Apatow vignettes bridged by genuine performances by Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust.
Rust plays Gus Cruikshank, a thirtyish teacher for child actors of fictitious television drama Wichita. Gus is stuck in life, whether striving for the attention of the show's young primadonna, or salvaging an imploding relationship.
Radio producer Mickey Dobbs (Jacobs) has recently gone through a break-up with a substance-abusing drifter. When she enlists a roommate to fill the recently formed void of singledom, we meet amusingly peppy Bertie who moves in on the spot.
After an unlikely meeting at a convenience store Gus and Mickey spend the rest of the day getting stoned, eating fast food, and trashing Blu-rays. What ensues over the course of ten episodes is a lover's tennis match, both characters vying to put aside personal baggage to open themselves up to what may be another relationship.
Major gripe--Gus gets walked on throughout the entirety of Love too often. Considering everything he goes through, you would expect him to become more gutsy by the end. Even then the awkwardness of his character is still over the top, particularly when going out of his way to be thoughtful to the cold-blooded writers on the set of Wichita.
On the other hand Jacobs has the right amount of charm and spunk. You learn early on Mickey is a recovering addict, and in a few episodes we watch her struggle to practice healthy behaviors to fill time formerly spent using drugs. Usually this makes Mickey fascinating psychologically, being at odds with inner demons while still trying to manipulate the dynamics of love.
A highly entertaining Apatow project about unlikely lovers in the middle of Hollywood. If you enjoyed the humor found in Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin then there is no chance you won't appreciate his latest. The writing is more than enough to get past the occasional flatness brought on by Rust's performance, which is offset by plenty of amusing co-stars.
