Thankfully, the Judd Apatow formula of injecting a great deal of heart into a raunchy environment, albeit predictable, has not become tiresome, especially in the hands of Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, who collaborated on FORGTTING SARAH MARSHALL (Segel wrote, Stoller directed), THE MUPPETS (the two co-wrote), and now THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT (they co-wrote, Stoller directed); Stoller also wrote and directed GET HIM TO THE GREEK, to which Segel contributed songs. And with the exception of THE MUPPETs, all of these films were guided by producer Apatow, who has the ability to make us care about the fates (romantic and otherwise) of ridiculous men.
But Segel's Tom Soloman isn't quite as ridiculous as some of the other characters he's played over the years. In fact, he opens THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT attempting to propose to his girlfriend, Violet (Emily Blunt), in a romantic and mature way that many of the other characters he's played would never have dreamed of. The premise of the movie is simple: due to Violet's career path as a college-professor-in-training, the couple is forced to postpone their San Francisco wedding, initially for two years to move to Michigan, but later the delay gets extended, and this puts a strain on their relationship. Tom was a rising star as a chef in the Bay Area, so the move forced him to sacrifice a promising career (he's forced to work in a sandwich shop in Michigan), but he knows the sacrifice will be worth it for the sake of their eventual marriage.
During the delay, her sister (Alison Brie, complete with adorable British accent) and his best friend (Chris Pratt) get knocked up and married, grandparents die, and parents put pressure on the couple to make the marriage happen. And so both start to doubt themselves and each other in terms of their level of commitment, making things unstable. THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT takes some unexpectedly dark and sad turns in its second half, but Segel and Stoller never forget to keep the laughs coming, sometimes relying on the strong supporting cast (which also includes Mindy Kaling, Dakota Johnson, Jacki Weaver, Kevin Hart, Chris Parnell, Randall Park and Brian Posehn) to pick up the slack during more serious moments involving the leads.
While I wouldn't classify the film as sophisticated, there is most definitely a level of maturity and believability here that is wonderfully refreshing. The object here isn't always to go for the joke, especially if it gets in the way of allowing a few raw emotions into the mix. That's not to say that the film isn't front-loaded with silly behavior. One of my favorite scenes involves Blunt and Brie exchanging a painful relationship discussion in the voices of Elmo and Cookie Monster to disguise the seriousness of the conversation from a child in the room.
And Segel once again, fresh on the heels of the recently released JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME (I will continue plugging this exceptional film until it comes out on DVD) continues to show his diversity as an actor. He will always be a naturally funny guy; I know this. But in THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT, his feelings, both being in love and having his heart broken, are as naked and honest as he sometimes gets in his movies. He's a guy you can't help but root for, even when he's in the wrong, because you know he means well.
Are there many surprises in this movie? A few, but nothing earth-shattering. Does the film wrap up the way you'd expect? Pretty much. At its core, THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT is a prime example of how to do a romantic comedy right, and I believe it's a work that men will get slightly more out of than women. This isn't the loner version of Segel that we saw in I LOVE YOU, MAN; this is a guy who wants to be in love and in a relationship, and I believe most men will see some of themselves in his passion for his lady. And I've somehow gone this far without mentioning how exceptional and fearless Blunt is in this movie. She has no trouble jumping head first into the raunchy behavior and using her surface poise to disguise the mild lunatic underneath.
To say that THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT is a great date movie would be limiting its appeal. It's tough for me to envision anyone not finding some or every aspect of this movie charming and impressive. Between this film, WANDERUST and 21 JUMP STREET, this year is shaping up to be strong for non-sequel R-rated comedies (sorry, AMERICAN REUNION). Even if you're typically adverse to rom-coms, you'll be in safe waters seeing this one.
