The Five-Year Engagement
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chriss Patt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Like anyone who is used to romantic comedies and can read the name of this film, you might already guess the main storyline.
Tom (Jason Segel) and Violet (Emily Blunt) are engaged but because of their lives and careers, they keep suspending their wedding plans. The story takes us through their five years as an engaged couple. Tom proposes to his girlfriend, who many might say is out of his league, and they begin to plan to get married soon. Violet gets the acceptance letter for the post doctorate programme she has been waiting for from University of Michigan. This programme lasts two years and thus the couple has to suspend the wedding for some time. Tom gives up his job as a sous chef in San Francisco to move with Violet to Michigan, but finds it difficult getting a job as a chef and has to settle for work in a food retail shop. With Tom’s dissatisfaction, Violets research work and her over friendly Professor (Rhys Ifan), cracks soon start to appear in the relationship and it begins to look like the nuptials will never happen.
This is a movie that in many ways is like other chick flicks, with a lot of tears, lots of tissues and of course a happy ending. However, the five year engagement is not at all cliché. Though its story line is straightforward, the comedy is indeed very original.
Released last month in the U.K., the characters include Violet’s divorced parents who hate each other, her “23-year old made-in-china” stepmom (who doesn’t say a word), Tom’s colleagues from the restaurants he worked in (especially his first boss, who is like a very interestingly funny re-branded Sue Sylvester from “Glee”), Violet’s colleagues from the University of Michigan and then of course, the other star couple Alex, Tom’s best friend (Chris Pratt) and Suzie, Violet’s sister (Alison Brie).
Every character seems to have space to shine in this movie. Suzie’s colleagues at the university include a solid cast of Mindy Kaling (“The Office”) and Randall Park (“Dinner for Schmucks”) and stand up comedian Kevin Hart (who though funny, plays the role we have seen him play in all his movies – the clueless one) and they all showed great chemistry, which was, in many ways, a good representation of the interaction between junior colleagues in an academic setting.
The comic timing is indeed often unpredictable and would leave you laughing out loud. Jacki Weaver follows up her academy award-nominated performance in “Animal Kingdom” with a very different role as Jen Barnes; Violet’s slightly troubled mother, who we soon find out, could do with some therapy. Jacki plays the role with much originality. Though the movie is predictable at some points, it still has some interesting twists and turns that would surprise the viewer.
Jason Segal and Nicholas Stoller (forgetting “Sarah Marshall,” “Get him to the Greek”) come together again for another winner.
Alison Brie gets two thumbs up for her British accent. The scene where Violet and Suzie get into an argument in cookie monster and Elmo voices from Sesame Street is really hilarious and fresh. The cast truly shines in this comedy; the conversation is smart and the jokes, though sometimes vulgar, are tastefully entertaining all the same.
Jason Segel comes again as another off bit character and the audience can soon relate to him. So far, I can say this is one entertaining movie. It’s like the “Hangover” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding” combined into one movie.
If the Rom-Com genre this year has bored you so far, this might just be the one you need to see.
– Samaila Adelaiye
Filed Under: Movie Review
