Finding a decent enough film about love these days will always be an endeavour, and finding a genuinely funny rom-com that doesn’t make you feel woozy with the diabetes it gives you from being so overly sugary is a very difficult task. While The Five-Year Engagement (2012) remains grounded and self-aware enough to not seem treacly, it doesn’t quite leave enough of a mark with its audience as it could do.
The Five-Year Engagement is a romantic comedy about a couple that are deeply in love, but can’t seem to find time to actually tie the knot, as they are inadvertently blockaded at every opportunity by work and family affairs.
This film’s strength lies in the chemistry each actor has with one another. This extends to the smaller roles too: Alison Brie and Chris Pratt (in an exciting meeting of NBC sitcom representatives) clearly formed a strong bond with each other and did a fine job of leaving Parks and Recreation’s (2009) Andy and Community’s (2009) Annie behind, which was something the audience may be justifiably worried about.
It was with lead actors Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, however, where the heart of the film truly lies. Blunt, being one of the finest actresses around, gives a warm, fun performance as the driven and slightly mischievous Violet, which complements Jason Segel’s familiar earnest and likeable, yet disoriented Tom; some people may question Segel’s preference for this type of character, but why is it a problem if he does it so well?
The chemistry between the two is so believable that there is never any question that the two are made for each other, and thankfully the film doesn’t ever really question that. The characters must, instead of evaluating their relationship, try and make the relationship last despite the overwhelming obstacles that life throws at them.
Despite the solid performances, unfortunately The Five-Year Engagement doesn’t really hold up to the standards of other films produced by Judd Apatow, This could be because writers Nick Stoller and Jason Segel focused more on the more dramatic aspects of the story rather than the comedic, which in the long run is a good thing because we may hopefully see some more poignant emotional moments in future collaborations.
This film was good practice for them, though, and in many places delivered. The narrative just needed to be braver because it seemed that Segel and Stoller haven’t yet built up the confidence to use the huge talent they share to its extent; a few more re-writes of the script may have uncovered some ideas to jazz it up a little and keep it from falling into the very predictable clichés that it does. Perhaps it might be a good idea for Segel to take a leaf from the book of his former Freaks and Geeks (1999) co-star Seth Rogen and trust that his contributions will not be wasted when applied to something a little different in terms of writing and performing.
Technically the film is great, featuring interesting and beautiful locations (and let’s face it, actors), and the editing itself is used cleverly, almost as an extra gag to paste two scenes together, which makes the overly long runtime slightly less obtrusive than you might imagine a film with such a basic plot, would be. Although claiming that it overstays its welcome would be unkind yet not far from the truth.
Equally delightful and uneventful (mainly due to a lack of set-pieces), The Five-Year Engagement is charming but unfortunately very forgettable; it provides just enough solid laughs and more than enough heart to be worth the ticket price. Just be prepared to have a think if asked what the best bit was.
Author Biography
Matt Cazwell has studied film for a number of years now, He grew up watching The Lion King endlessly on repeat and branched out from there. He wants to prove that silly comedies and tacky horrors are just as emotionally valid as tragic dramas and Oscar winning thrillers.
Film Details
The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
USA
Director Nicholas Stoller
Runtime 124 minutes
