Culture

I Give it a Year is a pleasant deviation from your run of the mill rom-com. Dan Mazer, known for his production and writing roles in Ali G Indahouse, Borat, Brüno, and The Dictator superbly balances cringe-worthy humour with more subtle hilarity and raises serious questions about love, married life and shotgun weddings. Mazer turns his directorial attention to a young couple vexed by temptations and compromised affections during their first year of marriage.

Nat (Rose Byrne) and Chloe (Anna Faris) combine to form a complementary and elegant duo, with feelings crossed for the slick Guy (Simon Baker) and clumsy Josh (Rafe Spall). The film excels at making the viewer grow close to each character and sympathise with their respective plights in the battlefield of love.

Baker expertly captures the essence of “hunk” and hints at the clever satire underlying the film, juxtaposed with Spall playing the overgrown little boy who suddenly found himself married and in a world of higher expectations. Faris provides the voice of objectivity that adds to the absurdities while showing a very human side to the synergised romances. The supporting cast members are both entertaining and obnoxious – much to the chagrin of the leads. Minnie Driver plays the role of cynical sister-in-law to perfection, leading to some of the film’s best moments.

Any attempts to make a serious commentary on modern married life are quickly lost amongst the clichés and Borat-esque gags. However, the traditional rom-com is not the place for overtly cynical social commentary, although Stephen Merchant is a perfectly awkward counterpoint for the main characters’ trials and tribulations.

From a sexually deviant best man/mate (Merchant) to epiphanies in the pouring rain to a guide on how not to have a threesome, I Give it a Year has enough laddish humour and patented (yet predictable) rom-com moments to entertain most audiences and provide a refreshing take on the genre.

3/5