# Larry Crowne
**Larry Crowne** is a 2011 American romantic comedy directed by [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks), who co-wrote the screenplay with [Nia Vardalos](https://www.edgepedia.org/nia-vardalos) and stars as the title character, a middle-aged man who enrolls in community college after losing his job, where he falls for his public-speaking teacher, played by [Julia Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/julia-roberts).[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66786-LARRY-CROWNE) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) It was Hanks's first film as director since *That Thing You Do!* in 1996, and it reunited him with Roberts for the first time since *Charlie Wilson's War* (2007).[3](https://nowtoronto.com/movies/larry-crowne/) • [4](https://www.screendaily.com/distribution/universal-swoops-on-north-american-rights-to-larry-crowne/5010580.article) Released by Universal Pictures on July 1, 2011, the film earned mixed-to-poor reviews and about $61.4 million worldwide on a $30 million production budget.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/larry_crowne)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Tom Hanks directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Nia Vardalos[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66786-LARRY-CROWNE) |
| Stars | Tom Hanks as Larry Crowne; Julia Roberts as Mercedes Tainot[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66786-LARRY-CROWNE) |
| Release | Wide release July 1, 2011 by Universal Pictures; PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual content[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) |
| Runtime | 99 minutes per the AFI Catalog; 98 minutes per The Numbers[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66786-LARRY-CROWNE) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) |
| Box office | $35,608,245 domestic, $25,840,890 international, $61,449,135 worldwide against a $30,000,000 production budget[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) |
| Critical scores | 35% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (195 reviews); Metascore 41 on Metacritic from 41 reviews[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/larry_crowne) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/larry-crowne/) |
| Home video | DVD and Blu-ray released November 15, 2011 by Universal Home Entertainment[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Larry Crowne was a superstar team leader at a big-box store where he had worked since his time in the Navy, until corporate downsizing cost him the job.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) Underwater on his mortgage and unsure what to do with his days, he enrolls at his local college to start over.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) There he joins a colorful community of outcasts and overlooked students, often moving around town in a herd of scooters, and in his public-speaking class he develops a crush on his teacher Mercedes Tainot, who has lost her passion for teaching and for her husband.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) A Time Out review describes the setup as a wish-fulfilment fantasy about the value of adult education: the ex-Navy cook turned store employee trades his gas-guzzling 4x4 for a secondhand scooter, receives a makeover from the free-spirited student Talia ([Gugu Mbatha-Raw](https://www.edgepedia.org/gugu-mbatha-raw)) and her scooter-riding friends, and catches the eye of his jaded teacher.[7](https://www.timeout.com/movies/larry-crowne-1)
## Production and financing
[Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures) acquired the North American distribution rights in February 2010, with Summit International handling foreign sales; production was scheduled to begin in April in Los Angeles.[4](https://www.screendaily.com/distribution/universal-swoops-on-north-american-rights-to-larry-crowne/5010580.article) Hanks and his Playtone partner [Gary Goetzman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-goetzman) produced, with Vendôme's Philippe Rousselet serving as executive producer.[4](https://www.screendaily.com/distribution/universal-swoops-on-north-american-rights-to-larry-crowne/5010580.article) According to the Los Angeles Times, Vendôme Pictures, a French independent producer whose first film, April's *Source Code*, had grossed $54.5 million, financed the $30-million *Larry Crowne*; Universal, which had previously developed the movie but chose not to make it, paid for prints and advertising and collected a distribution fee.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jun-30-la-et-word-20110630-story.html) The AFI Catalog credits Philippe Rousselot as director of photography, [James Newton Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-newton-howard) with the music, Alan Cody as editor, and Victor Kempster as production designer, with copyright registered by Vendome International, LLC on March 24, 2011.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66786-LARRY-CROWNE)
## Cast
Hanks and Roberts lead the cast, supported by Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Talia, Bryan Cranston as Dean Tainot, Cedric the Entertainer as Lamar, Taraji P. Henson as B'Ella, Wilmer Valderrama as Dell Gordo, and [Pam Grier](https://www.edgepedia.org/pam-grier) as Frances.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66786-LARRY-CROWNE) • [9](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/larry-crowne-2011) Universal's home entertainment page also lists [Rita Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rita-wilson), Rob Riggle, and [George Takei](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-takei) among the starring cast.[10](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/larry-crowne) Audience reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes note early appearances by Takei and a young Rami Malek.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/larry_crowne)
## Reception
**Critical response was mixed to poor.** The Los Angeles Times reported before release that reviews of the PG-13 film had been mixed to poor.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jun-30-la-et-word-20110630-story.html) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 35% Tomatometer from 195 reviews and a 41% audience score, with the critics' consensus reading, "Despite the relaxed, easy chemistry of stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, *Larry Crowne* is surprisingly bland and conventional."[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/larry_crowne) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 41 based on 41 critic reviews, categorized as mixed or average, with 10 positive, 22 mixed, and 9 negative reviews; its user score was 5.8 from 113 ratings.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/larry-crowne/)
Individual critics were largely unenthusiastic. Roger Ebert, the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) critic, gave the film two stars and wrote that "the screenplay carries blandness to a point beyond tedium," observing that the story arc is "simplicity itself: Larry Crowne is a nice man who becomes nicer with the encouragement of other nice people."[9](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/larry-crowne-2011) Kenneth Turan, the Los Angeles Times film critic, called it "an inside-out movie, acceptable around the edges but hollow and shockingly unconvincing at its core" and described it as playing like "a double-barreled vanity project."[11](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jul-01-la-et-larry-crowne-20110701-story.html) In Variety, Justin Chang wrote that it was "still puzzling to see Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts stuck in a romantic comedy as flat-footed and tone deaf as Larry Crowne."[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/larry-crowne/) Norman Wilner in *Now* magazine called it "precisely the opposite of a passion project" despite being Hanks's first directing effort since *That Thing You Do!*.[3](https://nowtoronto.com/movies/larry-crowne/) More favorable notices included Pete Hammond in Boxoffice Magazine, who called it "a perfect summer comedy for grown-ups," and the Miami Herald's Rene Rodriguez, who wrote that "these characters and their dilemmas stay with you."[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1583420/criticreviews/) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/larry-crowne/)
## Box office
The film opened on July 1, 2011 in 2,973 theaters, grossing $13,096,065 over its opening weekend, 36.8% of its eventual domestic total.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) It finished with $35,608,245 domestically and $25,840,890 internationally, for a worldwide total of $61,449,135, exactly 2.0 times its $30,000,000 production budget.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) The domestic run declined steeply, with weekend grosses falling 55% in each of the first two weekends, and the film averaged 3.4 weeks per theater.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29) The Los Angeles Times had reported that the film needed about $15 million in its first four days and good word of mouth to reach $40 million or more domestically, and that tracking suggested appeal to an adult audience led by women 35 and older, but not in great numbers.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jun-30-la-et-word-20110630-story.html) It opened against *Transformers: Dark of the Moon*.[8](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jun-30-la-et-word-20110630-story.html) Estimated domestic physical disc sales added $7,773,485, of which $7,233,319 came from DVD and $540,166 from Blu-ray.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29)
## Legacy
The film received three nominations: a 2012 BET Award nomination for [Taraji P. Henson](https://www.edgepedia.org/taraji-p-henson) as Best Actress (shared with *Person of Interest*), a Golden Trailer Award nomination, and a Black Reel Award nomination for Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Best Breakthrough Performance.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1583420/awards/) Its community college setting has drawn academic attention: a 2015 [Florida International University](https://www.edgepedia.org/florida-international-university) paper described *Larry Crowne* as the only film in its studied sample set at a community college rather than a four-year university,[14](https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/nanna/record/10802/files/10802_gonzalez_2015_what_weve_got_here_is_fai.pdf?registerDownload=1&version=1&withMetadata=0&withWatermark=0) and a [University of California, San Diego](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-san-diego) dissertation discussed the film in relation to the economic realities confronting many of the nation's real two-year college students.[15](https://escholarship.org/content/qt22n875dz/qt22n875dz_noSplash_100eaae8580ab02e14800173e33f0ba6.pdf?t=msyi25) In a 2022 Time ranking of every Julia Roberts romantic comedy, the film placed 14th, with the reviewer calling its humor "painfully forced" and the central romance "lackluster and devoid of chemistry."
## References
1. [Larry Crowne (2011), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/66786-LARRY-CROWNE)
2. [Larry Crowne (2011) – Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Larry-Crowne-%282011%29)
3. [Larry Crowne, review by Norman Wilner, Now Magazine (June 30, 2011)](https://nowtoronto.com/movies/larry-crowne/)
4. [Universal swoops on North American rights to Larry Crowne, Screen Daily (February 10, 2010)](https://www.screendaily.com/distribution/universal-swoops-on-north-american-rights-to-larry-crowne/5010580.article)
5. [Larry Crowne, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/larry_crowne)
6. [Larry Crowne Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/larry-crowne/)
7. [Larry Crowne 2011, directed by Tom Hanks, Time Out review by Nigel Floyd](https://www.timeout.com/movies/larry-crowne-1)
8. [Word of mouth: 'Larry Crowne' tries to gain a toehold against 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon', Los Angeles Times (June 30, 2011)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jun-30-la-et-word-20110630-story.html)
9. [Blandness to a point beyond tedium, review by Roger Ebert (June 28, 2011)](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/larry-crowne-2011)
10. [Larry Crowne, Universal Pictures At Home](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/larry-crowne)
11. [Movie Review: 'Larry Crowne', by Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times (July 1, 2011)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-jul-01-la-et-larry-crowne-20110701-story.html)
12. [Larry Crowne (2011) – Metacritic reviews, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1583420/criticreviews/)
13. [Larry Crowne (2011) – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1583420/awards/)
14. [What We've Got Here Is Failure to Communicate (FIU digital commons, 2015)](https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/nanna/record/10802/files/10802_gonzalez_2015_what_weve_got_here_is_fai.pdf?registerDownload=1&version=1&withMetadata=0&withWatermark=0)
15. [University of California, San Diego dissertation on community college film portrayals, eScholarship](https://escholarship.org/content/qt22n875dz/qt22n875dz_noSplash_100eaae8580ab02e14800173e33f0ba6.pdf?t=msyi25)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2011 to 2012 › Released in 2011*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license