The Five Year Engagement Review

16th Jun 2012

From the producers of Bridesmaids, this film doesn’t disappoint with a perfectly crafted, hilarious and honest film.

Jason Segal and Emily Blunt play Tom and Violet, two people so completely in love they decide to get engaged after a year of knowing eachother. Alls well until Violet gets an offer to work with the University of Michigan for two years. Tom decides to put restaurant career on hold, thinking that he can cook anywhere. However Michigan is no San Francisco and he end up having to work in a deli. His life’s ambitions crumbling around him, he loses all sense of self-confidence and becomes a yeti, hunting in the woods and sleeping naked in the snow. They struggle through a spiral of ever-depressing events (yeti, naked, snow) which eventually leads to a deadlock with Violet where Tom finally admits that he hates Michigan and, heartbreakingly, that perhaps he is no longer a person she would want to marry.

A sign of how good this film is, is that I’ve not seen Blunt or Segal in anything I’ve liked before. So with all that preconceived baggage I managed to really enjoy this film and their performances. I’m also so pleased that romcoms have moved away from the cheesy Jennifer Anniston-stlye rubbish from the past, to very well articulated and genuine film that you can enjoy without being embarrassed.

I sat in a predominantly male audience, who couldn’t breathe for laughing, so you can assume there’s some gross out humour. But on top of that, it is really funny with some stand out scenes. Violet and her sister having an argument while imitating Elmo and Cookie monster is a classic. Rys Ifans makes an appearance as a sleazy/cool professor and his tae kwon do chases puts super heroes to shame.

What I really liked about it was the chemistry between Blunt and Segal. As Tom and Violet, they aren’t extraordinary people, just two people who really love eachother. Even the arguments they have aren’t dramatic or cool, they are stupid, illogical and with a touch of humour. The script is excellent, sharp and well observed as well as being out and out ridiculous.

As good as Bridesmaids – that being the bar for romcoms as far as I’m concerned, just go watch it. A moving, funny, sweet and real look at an everyday couple who really love eachother and are just happy being together, without the fireworks or drama some films think is necessary to portray all that. Plus Segal get ham-slapped across the face. Go watch it. I’m giving it an extra half star just to make sure that you do.