Film review: I Give It A Year

Rafe Spall is going out with Rose Byrne. They haven't been together too long before they decide it would be a good idea to get married so off they trot to become wed. The wedding is lovely despite Stephen Merchants best efforts and they pootle off to begin their wonderful life together. Shortly after this they realise that they don't have a lot in common, if anything, and start to have problems. Herein every single human being they meet is weird or kooky sometimes in equal measure. Then 2 bloody yanks turn up and start chucking spanners left right and centre. One of these is Anna Faris who seems to have visited Lesley Ashes cosmetic surgeon and the other is Simon Baker who has literally no sense of sarcasm or irony. The married couple then start to have feelings for their respective americans and start to realise they maybe shouldnt have got married, even though Minnie Driver told them as much at the start of the film, smart lady.

I had very high hopes for this film. It stars some great actors in Rafe and Rose and some great comedic presences in Merchant and a lot of the support cast. It is also a british comedy which, no offense americans, usually means it is a cleverer comedy full of wit and invention. All of this made me think it was going to be in the league of About a Boy or Four Weddings, shame then it is actually a bit shite. Rafe and Rose are perfectly fine in the lead roles but are never believable as a couple. They are completely different people from the outset which just makes you question time and again why did they get together in the first place? Yes I understand that things change and early marriages may reveal hidden problems but these people literally have nothing in common which would be a stumbling block right from the first meet. Then come the americans one a past love, Anna Faris, and one a hunky business partner, Simon Baker. The couple then start to behave awfully towards one another and especially in the case of Rose Byrne are just outright bitches. Simon is a humourless douchbag who is only charming to people he deems worthy and is a judgmental prick to everyone else. Anna is equally as dull as Simon and verging on the annoying as an almost free spirit hippy type. All of this would be forgivable if the film was funny. That is not to say I didn't laugh but the filmmakers are trying sooo hard to make you laugh that it becomes very annoying. Every single peripheral person is weird and inappropriate. From the marriage counselor to the solicitor drawing up their will weird jokes and one liners are thrown around willy nilly. I don't know about you but I have never met people like that and if I have it is very few and far between. All of this makes the entire thing unbelievable and frankly disappointing.

Verdict: 1/5