The Five Year Engagement Review
By Ameya Srinivasan May 4, 2021.
The producer-writer behind this movie - Judd Apatow and Jason Segel have been part of some of our beloved adult comedies. The movie tries to bring in comic relief in every scene, but what works more is the simplicity of realism in it. The movie is a surprisingly relatable kind in the genre of romantic comedy where it's put under, directed by Nicholas Stoller - the same guy who gave us the guilty pleasure rom-com Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Segel in lead.
The cast really matches with the interest of each other. Violet (Emily Blunt) and Tom (Jason Segel) have a cute warm chemistry going on - a joyful sight to enjoy. She's PhD grad and he's a souz-chef, so you already get a glimpse of how their worklife going to be together. And that's our duty to witness in this film. Supporting characters of Violet's sister Suzie (Alison Brie) as a love-striken desperate chick with her knees high for the accidental one night stand dude turned husband Alex (Chris Pratt) - Tom's friend, makes up for an adrenaline horny and high yielding couple.
The title itself gives a whole of the idea and it makes predictable twists and turns about the unpredictable - life. This is the innocent beauty behind the film - it knows certain scenes to be funny, awkward and ridiculous at times, but it makes the effort to show the real rollercoaster of life - how relationship hurdles when career choice crosses in, adjustments partners make up for that, crazy family disputes over the subject of marriage, and the child-like vulnerable side of human beings. When Violet and Tom's wedding is delayed for five years, we assume some star-crossed feel coming in, but that's not the point and we understand the reason in delay in true fashion with reality.
The fun with the script written by Stoller and Segel often feels like it knows it's duty to stick to the core and not diverge away too much for unfunny awkwardness, rather we empathize towards the decisions these two characters make - sometimes high on romance, understanding, rash decisions and guilt rides they make, which towards the end fills our guts with a slight mellowy satisfaction.
