Director: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Alison Brie, Chris Pratt, Rhys Ifans
Running time: 124 minutes
Certificate: 15
Synopsis: After a year together, Tom Solomon (Segel) decides to propose to Violet Barnes (Blunt), believing they’d make it down the aisle pretty quickly afterwards. However, things don’t go to plan as promotions, moving, funerals and sandwich-making all get in the way of their big day.
Nicholas Stoller is probably better known as the director behind 2008’s FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL and 2010’s GET HIM TO THE GREEK, both produced by his long-time friend Judd Apatow. Already THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT is set for success. Add Jason Segel (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER), Emily Blunt (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA), Chris Pratt (PARKS AND RECREATION) and Alison Brie (COMMUNITY) into the mix and you’re on for a winner. However, much like Violet and Tom’s journey towards the aisle, the film has its ups and downs. I shall divulge…
Tom and Violet are your quirky, cute, fashionably-odd couple that decide to get hitched – but there’s a hitch. Violet is offered a place for a post-doctorate position at the University of Michigan – and since it’s Jason Segel playing Tom, he decides to ditch his fancy restaurant job in San Francisco to move to Michigan so they can stay together. As the reality (and cold) sets in, Tom’s resentment about moving starts to seep into their relationship, consequently pushing Violet to confide in her sly and sneaky new professor-boss, Winton Childs (Rhys Ifans). However, as the film comes to its climatic romantic-comedy ending you get a feeling that the audience is actually involved in Tom and Violet’s relationship (I could hear a resounding ‘Ooohhhh’ as Ifans cuts into Blunt in his closing scene) and that they want them to be together. 
The massive positive plus that’s got everyone talking is the actors themselves. Having seen Segel in other productions I knew what to expect of him – a loveable, cuddly giant of a man who you’d want to introduce to your parents. As for Blunt, I had little experience of seeing her on screen, but putting the two of them together is pure comedic genius! The pair have chemistry you don’t just see but feel – it’s hard to imagine that they aren’t together in real life. Blunt’s character is whip-smart and sassy (and I don’t just think it’s good acting) while Segel’s Tom is just a caricature of what I imagine he’s like in reality – at times you forget they’re even playing characters. Having seen many films of this genre, it’s refreshing to see something believable and a couple you want to root for. Pratt and Brie are also hilarious together and apart, just adding to the natural chemistry between everyone. That being said, the film itself doesn’t really bring anything new to the romantic-comedy table. It’s a little too long (at just over 2 hours) and at times it feels as if Stoller has just thrown in everything he believes to be funny to get a reaction e.g. many near-sightings of Segel’s genitals. With the plot, you could most likely guess what’s going to happen and we’ve seen the character profiles of Violet and co. countless times before.
Nevertheless, this film is thoroughly enjoyable with many laugh-out-loud moments (keep an eye and ear out for the Elmo and Cookie Monster skit between Blunt and Brie and Pratt’s ‘relationship rap’). I came out of the cinema with a huge smile on my face, still wrapped up in the sunny glow that is a rom-com. Go and see this to brighten up your dreary summer.
THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT is in UK cinemas from 22nd June 2012.
