User reviews

With so many modern romantic comedies reaching the point of unintentional self parody, we have (thankfully) seen a niche segment emerge that aims to subvert the conventions that have plagued this once frothy and enjoyable genre. Fare like (500) Days of Summer, Celeste and Jesse Forever and Friends with Kids have seen the sins of the father and have come up with ways to please mainstream audiences but without insulting their intelligence. I Give It a Year joins these rare ranks and delivers a sometimes gut busting, always frank and enjoyably clever look at the trails and tribulations of marriage.

There are certainly times when this British-American hybrid goes too far with its crude dialogue or goofy awkward rants but writer-director Dan Mazer still clearly knows what is funny, and his time writing for Da Ali G Show has served him well in his directorial debut. Certainly the heart and soul of I Give It a Year comes with the well matched talents of its two main leads Rose Byrne and Rafe Spall as a newlywed couple who tied the knot after just seven months together. We often cut back to a session with a brash marriage counsellor who probably does more harm than good and also with Natasha and Josh's interactions with a former flame (Anna Farris) and a business connection (Simon Baker) who may play a larger role as things unwind. Either playing off one another or interacting with the supporting cast these two bring the laughs and a believable depiction of a union in distress.

As can often be the case with a peak into the lives of others, especially into one not on the best of terms, awkwardness follows and so is the case with this film. Like being present as a third wheel while a couple have a spat, some scenes in I Give It a Year ring uncomfortably true. Thankfully what this film avoids is painting either Nat or Josh as the reason for the troubles – never opting to paint the wife as merely the shrill, bitchy ninny or the husband as a slovenly tool. Each have their faults, each have their positive attributes and each have the chance to be at the receiving end of an unnecessarily cruel insult or judgement. So while not likable insofar as we're viewing them in tough times, we are able to rationalize with these people and view them as real humans, not just as the brunt of jokes or mere players in a game of marital politics.

The laughs in Mazer's film come from multiple facets, may it be the interplay between characters, situational humour such as a trip to a lingerie shop, or its (often vulgar) wit. The funniest scene (and of the best of the year) involves a visit from the in-laws and a digital picture screen and needless to say the way that Spall plays the situation is absolutely perfect and had be reduced to a cackling idiot. If one buys into the often sarcastic and overly clever dialogue will come down to the viewer, but for the most part it won me over, in large due to how the cast deliver the lines and react in turn.

I Give It a Year also concludes in a perfect way and one that stays true to the same awkward, sardonic tone the rest of the film adopts. To say it slaps in the face every film that wraps up with someone literally running to the airport last minute to proclaim their eternal love would be an understatement. A closer approximation would be that it puts those offerings in a sleeper hold and squeezes out every ounce of maddening cliché. It's satisfying, funny and refreshingly direct. This act is preceded by what is also one of the best "reunion" speeches I've ever heard. I won't spoil anything as to how it unfurls but it too is cooling in its candidness.

While unfortunately not quite parody and maybe never quite as clever as it intends, I Give It a Year is still rife with mirth and deftly understands elements of marriage, relationships and most importantly the irritating formula of the rom-com. Earning its R-rating and showing unequivocally that Byrne, Spall, Farris and Baker are the things of leading men and women, this often uncomfortable but ultimately earnest feature is fun from beginning to end – something, as this film reminds us, is nothing at all like marriage.

Okay, so imagine you've just finished work, got home and need something to provide a little bit of background noise whilst sat with your laptop on brushing up on what's happened in the world, whilst thinking about what to have for dinner. This film is perfect for that.

This film isn't not funny. It's just not THAT funny. Quirky bits here and there, but once you've heard one sex pun, you've heard 'em all. It never really gets going and half way through the film I could tell I wasn't the only one sat in the cinema thinking this is slowly turning into a bit of a bore.

There are a smattering of funny areas, particularly the Christmas Party scene, but other than that, it's your run-of-the-mill Brit Rom-Com that doesn't really come to life.

Advice? Wait until it turns up on Sky Movies. Then you can judge for free.

Check out my review on my Blog at http://fameasserlufc.wordpress.com

Dysfunctional is definitely a word I would use to describe this film.

"I Give It A Year" follows the trials and tribulations of a young couple who, after marrying shortly after meeting, struggle through married life for the first year of their new lives. Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne are the couple in question but as their lives take a turn away from each other and into the arms of ex-girlfriends (Anna Faris) and business colleagues (Simon Baker) everything turns to turmoil with hilarious results.

Awkward is another word I would use to describe this film. Much of the comedy stems from the wrong thing being said at the wrong time in front of the wrong people. Steven Merchant's best friend role is one he plays to perfection as it's not too much of a stretch from his normal self as Ricky Gervais' right-hand man.

Spall is great fun in the film and has to carry a lot of the comedy himself, having a very quirky relationship with his Ex, where Byrne is a more serious person and the situations she finds herself in lend themselves more to the "should she or shouldn't she" question.

It's not the funniest film ever made, but it's well worth a chuckle and I can't help think that the film would have benefited more from a full cinema, rather than a 7-person screening (yes I was the odd one out). Comedy films tend to work a lot better when there's more people watching.

That being said, the first third of the film and the last third definitely have moments which are very funny and "Laugh Out Loud" but the middle section does seem to focus more on which way the characters will turn than the comedy aspect.

Worth a watch, by maybe a DVD viewing in a year or so rather than making a special trip to see on the big screen.

The rom-comedy genre has been known for being very formulaic and often entries are a dime a dozen. It is hard to stand out of the crowd and it is often a genre that plays it safe. But I Give It a Year is a film that attempts to twist the rom-com clichés.

Josh (Rafe Spall) and Nat (Rose Byrne) are a couple who after dating for seven months decide to get married, even though they friends and family think they are marrying too soon. And it turns out they are right with their marriage hits the rocks. Their eyes soon wonder to two American, Chloe (Anna Farris), Josh's ex-girlfriend and one of Nat's business clients, Guy (Simon Baker).

Often the formula of rom-coms is that the guy or girl tries to win over someone there are often a series of mishaps and misunderstanding on the way. In I Give It a Year the main two characters are fighting for their marriage as they are two other suitors waiting in the wings. In style I Give it a Year was shot very much like other rom-coms like Bridget Jones, Love Actually and Notting Hill (Working Title made all those films) but I Give It a Year is more of an anti rom-com, being more willing to be risqué. There are some twists on typical rom-com clichés and there is a fine parody of a famous rom-com speech.

I Give it a Year is the first film as a director for Borat writer Dan Mazar and most the humour was sex jokes or awkward/cringe humour and sometimes both. This was all summed up with Stephen Merchant in a show stealing performance giving us his trademark cringe humour and saying very politically incorrect at the most inappropriate times. Olivia Coleman as a bitter man-hating marriage counsellor who has some of the best lines in the film and great physical actions. But some of the jokes are overlong and the first joke where a priest is uncontrollably coughing led to me thinking what have I got myself in for.

Spall and Byrne are fine actors. Spall was very good at playing a prat and Bryne was the straight character of the piece. But she is made to be more of the bad guy out of the pair as she is more willing to flirt with Guy and seeks him out as the marriage starts to crumble. The other love interests are also a bit too perfect, even trying to show Guy as the perfect (plus he owns a massive factory in Britain, why not make him British). The supporting cast are solid, particularly Minnie Driver and Jason Flyming as a marriage couple who hard each other.

I Give It a Year is a fun film that will delight audiences. The cinema audience I saw it with enjoyed it. There are enough jokes and twists the rom-com genre to keep the film fresh.

Very funny script, Stephen Merchant's best man speech will be remembered as a classic. Lots of funny interactions and one liners that sometimes come so quickly you will miss them , watch it twice to catch them all. Great casting an uplifting funny evening in , definitely one to watch when you need a smile. Recommended

Have you ever literally cringed?

I felt like doing so at many times during this film. Let's call it a movie, as I think 'film' should be reserved for something better.

To begin, I WANTED to like it. I really never followed Rose Byrne, but I liked her in X-Men, and I have liked Anna Farris in a couple of things. The first twenty minutes or so however should have been a clear indication that I really wasn't going to, and I should have cut my losses then and there.

But no. I watched until the sleep-inducing end.

NONE of the characters are very likable although their unlikeablity ranges from mild unlikeability to extreme dislike. Nat (Rose Byrne's character) is a total witch and you get the idea that no matter who she is married to, that won't change. Her husband, played by Rafe Spall is the most likable, again, of unlikeable characters, and is portrayed as dumb, uninteresting and a moron sometimes. Simon Baker's character is just dull, uninteresting, and it felt like the actor was just calling his scenes in. Anna Farris looked pretty bad and her character was such a tremendous pushover you kind of wanted to slap her. Oh, and a special mention to Rafe Spall's character's best friend who should win an award for most annoying supporting character EVER.

Note to the makers of this film: YOU CANNOT have a hit if most of your characters have almost no appeal whatsoever.

The premise too was just bad-awful and you know it is a movie while watching it because in the real world no real person would act/react the way any of these characters acted in several of the scenes.

The comedy itself wasn't HORRIBLE, it just wasn't really THERE. There are literally NO laugh-out-loud moments, although there are a couple of cute 'haha', funny scenes. Mostly though, again, you just feel as if you have to cringe in embarrassment for the fake (in every sense of the word) "people".

The ending is so ... trite ... but fits the entirety of the movie well, in that nothing about it is any good.

All in all, I wish I had skipped it.

The trailer alas put in all the best comical bits from the film, so if you haven't seen the trailer yet, don't. Otherwise all that's left in this romantic comedy, is the romance portion only, which begins with the marriage between the leading characters, and I suppose we can agree that sometimes that will suck all romanticism from the film. Which it clearly did.

It's quite an unconventional tale of romance given the leading characters Josh (Rafe Spall) and Nat (Rose Byrne) having taken their vows of matrimony early on, before slowly finding out that their seven month whirlwind romance was clearly insufficient to weather the storm in their relationship any further. Just as how films featuring plane crashes won't make for comfortable viewing for inflight entertainment, so does this film for anyone intending to get hitched anytime soon. It's a film that shows how a marriage can just deteriorate from the lack of communication and honesty, when the initial spark of romance and lust wear out, and what's left is the sinking feeling that you're going to be with someone forever. And forever as it turns out, is an incredibly long time.

Written and directed by Dan Mazer, I Give It a Year began brightly with all the typical trappings of an English film, with plenty of wit on display, and the title coming from expectations that the marriage between the newlyweds wouldn't last more than a year. And we're taken on a trip both down memory lane to examine just how the flashing warning lights and alarm bells have been sounded, before taking stock on what the couple needed to do to salvage their marriage, if they truly want to, though more importantly whether they are with the right person - the one they couldn't live without. And things aren't easy when

It's easy to lay blame in relationships that don't work out, when there are opportunities that are always readily available for that quick flirt, or fling. So you the audience are given that opportunity to exercise and pass judgement, which would make for interesting post-show conversations with anyone you're watching this with, perhaps just to see where the moral lines get drawn. For Josh, there's his ex girlfriend Chloe (Anna Farris, who looked really aged here) with whom he never really had a clean break before meeting his wife, and together they still have that emotional attachment that's yet to be severed. When they each face issues both professionally and personally, they know who to turn to automatically. And having to confess feelings to Chloe and not his wife, is something that's not quite right.

And in the other corner, Nat listens to her colleagues' goading to remove her wedding ring when delivering their sales pitch to an American scion Guy (Simon Baker), an easy qualification for any eligible bachelor's list, and true to form, Guy sees Nat as someone with whom he can connect to both professionally and personally as well. The deception here was something one can easily frown upon, but as the narrative goes, again there's no black and white in issues like these, only shades of grey which you can use to decide one's personal limits and values. Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne play their roles with aplomb, especially in scenes together that highlight more of their differences than similarities, making it obviously clear that they're both heading toward more disasters as the story wore on.

Some of the best scenes in the film happen to be the highlight of the negativity within ourselves, dealing with deceit and hypocrisy, playing foolish games and denying ourselves of our true feelings, often with casualties. Scenes in which all four characters of Josh, Nat, Chloe and Guy coming together are filled with awkwardness and hidden intentions and meaning, that makes it engaging in a What If scenario. Otherwise, if you're tired with the games these adults play, there's always the support caricatures to look forward to, such as those played by Minnie Driver, Jason Flemying, and especially Stephen Merchant, whose role is to prop up the film's comedic department with tons of bawdy jokes, some of which fall flat to keep in line with his character.

I Give It a Year is the anti-thesis of marriage, so you have been warned that this romantic comedy does seem a little bit twisted with its unconventional take on a tale about forcing a romance with the wrong person, while failing to recognize one's happiness truly lies somewhere else. How it all plays out toward the end may be a little bit unrealistic and a tad too inconvenient, but by that time you'd realize Mazer was grasping for anything that can bring this story to a close.

"I Give It a Year" is labeled as a romantic comedy. Well, sure that is true enough, though it is heavier on the romantic aspect as to what it is in the comedy department.

That being said, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that this movie is not good, because I actually did enjoy watching it. I am just saying, don't expect to be laughing a lot throughout the movie. I think I actually just laughed once, and it was during the photo-frame scene with the in-laws.

The story in "I Give It a Year" is a good story, especially because director Dan Mazer managed to tell it in a very captivating way, and managed to keep the movie running at a continuous flow. There weren't really any boring moments throughout the course of the movie.

To summarize the movie's storyline briefly, then Josh (played by Rafe Spall) and Nat (played by Rose Byrne) are married on nine months, but things are far from well. Especially because Josh's former love Chloe (played by Anna Faris) is in the picture. And things doesn't take a turn for the better when Nat lands a new client, an American named Guy (played Simon Baker) who is instantly charmed by her.

The cast really delivered some great and realistic performances here, and they had managed to get together a great ensemble of actors and actresses. Aside from the four lead actors and actresses, then it was also nice to see Jason Flemyng in this movie, his character was rather nice.

The movie is predictable, yes, but still, director Dan Mazer managed to keep the movie fresh and interesting from start to finish. If you enjoy movies that bear a resemblance to what you could experience in real life, and enjoy these type of romantic movies, then by all means, you should watch "I Give It a Year".

This is the very rare chance to see a modern romantic comedy without the Hallmark schmaltz soundtrack, predictable 3 acts, suburban venue, formulaic tugging of emotional heartstrings, nauseating scene juxtapositioning, Beatle-brown-haired tall solid chisel-featured loveable "hunk" with a 1-day beard, and the corresponding obligatory bleached-blond female protagonist in pursuit of him, and the creepy guy in her life is a natural blond.

Instead of such instant ennui, this story portrays the intertwining love lives of London 30-somethings, but without Hugh Grant. Their personalities are not snide or witty, but the writing of their bantering dialog and wisecracks are quite funny and first-rate -- for instance, a silly discussion whether all Brazilians are superheros for the super power to speak Spanish, not knowing, as Bill Clinton, they actually speak Portuguese.

Thus, this film proves it still is within the realm of possibility to find a palatable Romantic Comedy.

I Give It a Year

I really wanted to like this film but as I watched I became more and more irritated by it. Dan Mazer tried far too hard to deliver what I'm sure he thought were amusing British comedy one liners but it was overdone, lacked originality and was frankly boring. Any acting skill was dwarfed by poor overburdened script writing which made authenticity difficult to execute.

The scenes, characters, story line and plot have all been done far better in other British classics like Notting Hill and Four Weddings where everything gels beautifully. Here however is a mish-mash of nonsense that fails to deliver. I was tempted to switch off 10 minutes through but thought I may as well give it a shot. What a disappointment!

This movie demonstrates a new non-comic genre of British film making which is too overdone to be funny, too unrealistic to be engaging and too irritating to be entertaining. I give it the thumbs down

The rom-com is such a commonplace genre that one has to work hard to come up with a new angle and this one is certainly more com than rom, starting where many finish with the marriage and then - like "Hope Springs" - examining how a partner's personality and habits can really irritate and annoy. At least the American couple in "Hope Springs" had given it a good shot and reached their 60s together but, as the title suggests, in this film it's downhill from the start and marriage is often represented as not so much a word as a sentence.

Written and directed by Londoner Dan Mazer and set in his (and my) home city, the English couple in question are portrayed by Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne (actually an Australian although many people think she is American because of the likes of "Bridesmaids") and their relationship is challenged by two Americans played by Simon Baker (actually another Australian) and Anna Faris, while some of the crudest lines are delivered by Stephen Merchant of "The Office" fame.

This is a movie with lots of chuckles but few laugh-out-loud moments that reminds us that sadly marriage is not always love actually.

I had no preconceptions of this film, not having seen any trailers, and having missed it completely on general release, so I saw it yesterday on DVD, and will probably watch it again one day.

The theme of the boy-meets-girl-marries-girl-oops! is fairly unusual and the characters were well-drawn for the most part, although the American love interest seemed pretty colourless, but he was loaded, so maybe that was his charm. Minnie Driver was stunning and Olivia Colman stole every scene she was in, and some of those she was viewed through a frosted window. The two main characters could have been played by anyone, but they were convincing if not lovable. I found the best man amusing, in small doses. The ending was somewhat silly but perhaps they ran out of money? It seemed like that. It was obvious what conclusion would be reached, but honestly? An ending that abrupt? Spoiled it really.

So, not for everyone, but on the whole a good way to spend a winter's afternoon, especially if you have popcorn. I've certainly seen much worse.

I always feel bad about being negative towards the British film industry. We don't have Hollywood's budget so I always try to support the national film industry. And, 'I Give it a Year' certainly boasts an impressive cast of fine British (and even American) actors.

It's about a couple who have only known each other for seven months before they decide to get married. This film charts the first year of their subsequent life together. The characters are all beautiful, rich, thin people who work in trendy London offices, live in stylish Victorian apartments and can afford lavish, high-society weddings. The male characters are either or both selfish or stupid (Rafe Spall attempting to 'out-annoy' Jar Jar Binks at some stages). And the American characters are seemingly parachuted into the story to save the lovelorn Brits.

I found the film a bit of an enigma. I stuck with it to the end and enjoyed some of it. Every scene felt like a sketch that would fit right in during an (adult) sketch show (think 'That Mitchell and Webb Look' or 'Armstrong and Miller'), however, using it in the context of an ongoing narrative, it just didn't work. The parts were funny; it's just they didn't seem to go with each other.

With the calibre of acting talent amassed here, it should have been brilliant, yet, despite being funny, it somehow left me cold. A weird contradiction in film-making.

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

I got this for the actors, whom I all think are brilliant. I didn't know much about it, but read the back cover description on the DVD and thought, eh, worth a shot... And I leave this movie appalled. Hardly funny - a few key moments, but mostly trying too hard to be "alternative" - and the main characters are generally unlikeable. Actually, I retract that: Josh is okay, but Nat I despise. I literally rooted out loud for Chloe (Anna Feris), the ex-girlfriend. And Simon Baker in another ridiculously alluring/womanizing role to a committed woman... I just didn't find it funny. The only heart I saw in the film was a small moment between Minnie Driver's character and the character's husband, a brief respite from this train wreck of a film.

If you're looking for a quirky, against-the-grain romantic comedy, you could do much better anywhere else.

This was just utterly terrible. The storyline had one goal and tossed out any possibility of evolving or trying to showcase any creative effort. I only kept watching with the hope it would somehow get better.... It didn't only worse.

A lot of negative reviews for this... and I'll wager none of those reviewers are English.

There are lots of fantastic 'laugh out loud' moments in this ridiculous and exaggerated story of a young, badly thought out marriage. If you haven't seen it, it's as if Ben Elton had written 'Love Actually'!

Olivia Coleman is let off her leash as the insanely incompetent marriage guidance counselor. Minnie Driver is her usual genius self, gagging over young Justin Beiber. ("I'd destroy him!") The welcome sight of an older Nigel Planer is here too, as well as a host of other notable names and faces.

Rafe Spall overplays his hand as the likable fool, but really it's the howling moments when Stephen Merchant gets on screen that make this worth the price of admission. He's sublime as the appalling best mate and best man at the wedding. Stay till the credits to see him in action some more.

The whole movie is ludicrous and shouldn't be taken too seriously as a 'rom-com'. It's really just a screwball comedy.

Well, at least it has the courage to be vulgar. This is a strange melange of the good, the bad and the ugly, which takes its cue from the notion that it is always funny when someone says something inappropriate and offensive without realising it. The central couple, Josh and Nat are attractive enough as the film charts the ups and (largely) downs of their first year of marriage. Film is an art, but individual films don't have to be (thank heavens, some would say). This is an example of a film that is competent enough at a craft level, and gives basic pleasure to the audience by accessing their Neanderthal brain stem, but eschews all finesse. Mr mgillion from Australia has got it rather the wrong way round... if you loved 'There's Something About Mary', you'll like this.

When writing this review I fear that it will be hard to stretch it to as much as ten lines because the film was dreadful and we struggled to find the will to watch it to the end. It was a good idea ruined by a terrible script! Gratuitously vulgar it was unredeemed by any shred of originality. Written by Dan Mazer it failed to match his equally vulgar Sacha Baron Cohen scripts which were at least filled with the originality that this offering completely lacks. Such a pity because if it had been wittily and cleverly written the idea had the potential to equal Notting Hill and Love Actually and their genre.

A huge disappointment, how on earth did they get the backers? Might they pay again with a different writer because I would love to see this idea and storyline reach its obvious potential. On the other hand perhaps our revolted and bored reaction is what the writer sought!