I Give It A Year (2013)

Review: written Nov 2013

Biter Sweet… with the Sweet missing.

A game British cast and co-writer of Sacha Baron Cohen movies in the director's chair led to this movie, described as a `reverse rom-com' by some. It's laudable to attempt a spin on the worn out premises rolled out time and time again in Hollywood rom-coms, and the cast seem well suited to their roles. We have the central couple who we see at the start embarking on their marriage, their bitter and unhappily married friends, a best friend / best man who reaches new heights of inappropriateness and lack of social graces, and an ex girlfriend of the groom. As the movie rumbles on, with some blackly comic moments which may bring a guilty smile to your face, we are gradually introduced to the idea that this couples marriage is keeping them from the romances they really should be in. As the conclusion becomes more inevitable, sadly, blackly inventive comedy becomes just irritatingly condescending and insulting. Counselling is portrayed as a ridiculous waste of time, and the lies the couple tell each other are poked fun at. Perhaps the worst indictment of a romantic comedy is that none of the leads are particularly likeable. It's really hard to care about whether they find their true love as depicted in the movie, and if anything we the audience have more investment in the marriage, flawed as it is, which leaves a sense of disappointment that they need to take the easy way out for the movie to reach its pat resolution. And therein lies the insult. The idea of a couple fighting to save their marriage is seen as futile, insulting all those who have succeeded in getting over their difficulties and finding happiness together, and the idea of a divorce is seen as a romantic light throwaway moment, insulting all those who have experienced directly or indirectly a divorce. So yes, there are humourous moments, and Minnie Driver's scabrous friend whose answers during charades give away everything but the answers is a highlight, but the humour always feels at a cost, and ultimately the movie does nothing to make you feel good - ultimately the laughs are hollow.

Of course, there is always an audience for a movie. For this movie, if you have a cynical streak about romance, believe that divorce is a worthy goal and that marriage is a singularly failed institution that kills true love, then this IS the movie for you. Classic British comedy..? No, I reckon it'll be forgotten. In fact, I give it a year.