The Five-Year Engagement (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (2012)

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)There is such a ramshackle charm to this 2012 romantic comedy that I think the term "Apatovian" seems appropriate to describe it since it most definitely feels like the same general creative team led by producer Judd Apatow that guided Knocked Up, Funny People, and Bridesmaids. All the ingredients of the successful Apatovian formula are here likeable principal characters facing the unpredictability of life's events, the familiar challenges of maintaining relationships in a morass of doubt and temptation, the unexpected detours into graphic humor, the pool of scene-stealing comic actors, the slightly overlong running time (this one clocks in at 124 minutes). Directed by Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), this particular one focuses on a young couple a year into their relationship Tom Solomon, a talented sous-chef at a trendy San Francisco restaurant, and Violet Barnes, a psychology graduate student hoping to win a postdoctoral fellowship at Berkeley.

The movie opens with Tom popping the question on the bayside terrace of his restaurant and Violet responding affirmatively without hesitation. Thanks to the stars' easy charms, the characters are obviously quite compatible and in love. What happens from that point forward is less about formula and more about just life. Berkeley turns Violet down, but she eventually wins a fellowship in a two-year program at Michigan. Tom willingly gives up his much-sought-after job and moves cross-country with Violet to Ann Arbor. She thrives under the tutelage of the suspiciously charming Prof. Winton Childs amid her motley study group. Tom, on the other hand, flails mightily in trying to fit into his new surroundings, eventually landing a lowly job at a sandwich shop and turning into a grizzly-looking house-husband who takes up hobbies like deer hunting and sweater knitting.

While their dilemma doesn't represent new material to the big screen, the treatment of the subject as co-written by Stoller and star Jason Segel is uncommonly well handled with plenty of room for awkward moments filled with both humor and honest emotion. If the film drags, as it occasionally does in the last third, it's because they focus a little too liberally on the principals' relationships with the incidental characters. As Tom, Segel has improved considerably as a leading man since his gangly turn in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, bringing acuity to his character's increasing struggle between devotion and resentment. Emily Blunt brings a welcome softness and open awkwardness to her heretofore crystalline screen persona, and the two actors achieve a natural rapport that brings a centered relatability to their evolving characters. They are surrounded by a crack company of comic actors.

Chris Pratt (Parks & Recreation) brings goofball energy to Tom's wildly inappropriate chef colleague-turned-brother-in-law Alex, while Alison Brie (Mad Men) sports a convincing Brit accent and an off-kilter manner to her hilarious portrayal of Violet's impulsive sister Suzie. One of the film's funniest scenes involves Violet and Suzie having a tense discussion while speaking in the voices of Elmo and Cookie Monster in order to avoid alarming Suzie's daughter. As Childs, Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill) brings the right level of smarminess to his erudite professor, while Mindy Kaling, Kevin Hart, and Randall Park play Violet's fellow PhD candidates with sharp jabs of humor. In a few memorably funny scenes, Brian Posehn plays the oddball sandwich shop owner and Chris Parnell is Tom's too-comfortable fellow house-husband. The movie wraps up on a somewhat pat note rather quickly, but it maintains its goodwill to the very last.

Can't believe this movie only averages 3 stars. I'm not much of a "rom-com" guy but my wife & I both enjoyed this film that has really good performances by all involved and found it to be LOL funny all the way through. I did feel it was a little longer than it probably could have been but that's my only nitpick. Jason Siegel, Emily Blunt and the lesser known supporting actors (Dakota Johnson, Kevin Hart among them) were all great in this. Highly recommended if you want to enjoy a good "date movie".

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I don't see how this is a 3 star movie.

This film has captured the random chaos of love for this generation. Putting things off until their "right," and always finding a reason to postpone vs a shotgun wedding and making it work. I feel I've seen this story play out all around me.

Not only being incredibly true in tone for this generation, the characters are honest and real. Even the bit parts are acted out with fully developed characters. Everyone knew who they were.

Maybe it was the tone. Maybe it was the honesty. Maybe it was the acting, but I laughed hard, out loud, many many times while watching this movie. I give it my highest recommendation.

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I enjoyed this movie. If you enjoyed "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", give this one a try. It's not quite as good but definitely entertaining.

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Funny and insightful. Definitely worth the time to watch if you like comedy movies. I hope you enjoy it as I did.

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