Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel have another hit on their hands and I think this is their best collaboration yet. The Five-Year Engagement, which opened the Tribeca Film Festival and is set to come out on April 27th, stars Jason Segal and Emily Blunt as a loving couple, Tom and Violet, who become engaged after a year of dating. After the proposal, the film follows the couple’s highs and lows as Tom gives up his career as a Chef in San Francisco so that Violet can go through a program in Michigan to become a professor. With delays piling up and the wedding continually getting pushed back, their relationship becomes tested and strained, but not without a ton of joyously fitting comedic relief.
The reason I really took a liking to The Five-Year Engagement was that it was a hilarious rom-com that never felt cliché, sappy or overly romantic. The one other key factor is that its R rated humor is suitable for both men and women, only slightly favoring men due to a few cruder moments, but, despite that, it ends up being a perfect date movie that’ll have both parties laughing their way out of the theater.
Just like in many romantic comedies, the supporting characters are just as important as their (hopefully) hilarious lead counterparts, and that rule isn’t broken in this film. Chris Pratt (Moneyball), the beautiful Alison Brie (Community), Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man), Mindy Kaling (The Office), Randall Park (Larry Crowne) and Kevin Heart (The 40 Year Old Virgin) all make solid contributions to the laugh vault and allow the film to string together one laugh after another. I felt like they were the emergency go-to laughs whenever Tom and Violet killed the mood due to a dramatic moment or shift in pace. If you see the film as a comedy with dramatic elements rather than vise versa, then you will probably see eye to eye with me on this and the rest of the review.
Some of my favorite moments in the film include when Alex, Tom’s best friend and co-worker, sings a Spanish song at a wedding, when Jason Segal becomes a hunter in Michigan, grows out his facial hair and pretty much gets weird. One other scene I really enjoyed was when Alison Brie and Emily Blunt have an entire conversation while doing bad Cookie Monster and Elmo impersonations; it was both a meaningful and really funny scene.
My only issue with the film, and it truly is my only issue, is that you don’t really know where in the five year period the film is. There are one or two scenes that give you an idea but it’s never confirmed, you actually have to pay moderately close attention to figure it out.
Overall, The Five-Year Engagement not only has become one of my favorite romantic comedies to date, but I am now officially in love with Emily Blunt. Despite how ridiculous the movie is, it felt honest and surprisingly plausible with a very cute ending to top it all off. I highly recommend seeing this film as it’s perfect for a date but also just as good without one since you’re guaranteed to laugh.
Rating: A well written and hilarious bundle of joy (7.8/10)
Oh, and mark my words, The Five Year Engagement is, and will be, the Best Romantic Comedy of the Year
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