THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT
USA 2012
Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Written by Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel
Starring Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Rhys Ifans
SYNOPSIS: Shortly after becoming engaged in San Francisco, Tom and Violet (Segel and Blunt) put their impending nuptials on hold after she enters into a post-doctorate program at the University of Michigan. In addition to this waylaying his burgeoning culinary career, numerous other complications and insecurities cause these two lovebirds to continue to save, then lose, the date.
THOUGHTS: This isn't necessarily laugh a minute stuff. There are some traditional gags here and there, but for the most part this is comedy that comes from character work, and from the uncomfortable familiarity of a scenario you may have lived through.
The character work is done quite well, feels honest, and will play best to an audience closer to thirty. This is the film that takes place after the "meet cute, then fall in love" film ends. It also lacks a certain dismissive cynicism in tone that seems to be a prerequisite of all comedies aimed at teens and early twenty year olds.
I enjoyed that, unlike many Hollywood movies, it didn't portray the Great Lakes region as simply a wooden wasteland. The residents of Ann Arbor in the film are intelligent and culturally diverse, despite their not living in Manhattan. Sure, it does show that "going native" is synonymous with deer hunting, but that doesn't feel terribly dishonest. Other than there supposedly being a redneck bar on Main Street, there weren't too many incongruous elements; it felt like my town.
The "too good for this" Director of Photography Javier Aguirresarobe (The Others, Talk To Her) takes a break from his recent string of vampire movies to add just the right hint of gravitas to the lighting scheme, perfectly matching Stoller and Segel's morose undercurrent in the script.
RATING: 7 (LOVE)
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