Film Review: I Give It A Year

I Give It A Year. Rated M (nudity, coarse language and sexual references). 97 minutes. Written and directed by Dan Mazer.

Verdict: Missed genre subversion opportunities abound in this disappointingly formulaic rom-com outing.

As the writer of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Brüno, Borat and Ali G, Mazer has the pedigree, experience and reputation to have brought something genuinely unique to the romantic comedy genre. But with the exception of Chloe’s (Anna Faris) hilarious attempt at sexual liberation and Oliva Colman’s turn as an extremely counter-productive marriage guidance counsellor, there’s little divergence from the tried-and-true formula.

When advertising agency account director Nat (Rose Byrne) and writer Josh (Rafe Spall) meet and fall instantly in love, the lovebirds decide to tie the knot. But when Josh’s ex-girlfriend, aid-worker Chloe (Faris) returns from fieldwork in Africa, and Nat meets the charming, handsome and rich Guy (Simon Baker) who is looking for an agency to manage his company’s brand, the extent of their commitment to a future together is tested.

Australian-born Byrne (Bridesmaids, Get Him to the Greek) and Spall (Life of Pi, Prometheus, Anonymous) are charming leads, and if the film works at all, it is mostly due to the fact that we feel, with increasing discomfort, just how great the distance between them is becoming. Powered by some impossibly dysfunctional family dinners (with a particularly awkward digital photo album sequence), and Minnie Driver’s engaging turn as Nat’s cynical, husband-hating sister, it is interesting to imagine what Mazer’s intention for his film might have been. By beginning where most rom-coms end (with the wedding), there would have been countless opportunities to subvert the genre entirely – but sadly, little of that potential is realised.

What does work, is the extent to which Byrne and Spall are perfectly matched with Faris (What's Your Number?) and Baker (The Mentalist), who effortlessly account for the neurotic ex-girlfriend with low self-esteem and the lovesick young businessman respectively. Ultimately though, I Give It A Year is just all very plain sailing towards a totally predictable conclusion.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.