海角大神

Given the fact that 鈥淭he Five Year Engagement鈥� is from the creative team 鈥� director and co-writer Nicholas Stoller, costar and co-writer Jason Segel, and producer Judd Apatow 鈥� that brought us 鈥�Forgetting Sarah Marshall,鈥� I was expecting something raunchier. Instead, what we have here is a wistful, somewhat overextended but occasionally sweet comedy about a couple that can鈥檛 鈥� in more ways than one 鈥� quite get it together.

Tom (Segel), a sous-chef at an upscale San Francisco restaurant, and Violet (Emily Blunt), a psychology grad student, meet cute at a New Year鈥檚 Eve party 鈥搒he鈥檚 dressed as Lady Di, he as a pink bunny 鈥� and rapidly become a twosome headed for the altar. But when she is offered an attractive two-year postdoc fellowship in Michigan, they decide to make the move and hold off on the wedding. Tom essentially gives up his career for her, although the film makes it seem as if the only good jobs for a top chef in Michigan are making deli sandwiches. (The swipes at Michigan in this film don鈥檛 stop there 鈥� their Chamber of Commerce should sue.)

Tom, who spends his newfound time smoking venison and growing mutton chops, comes across as so 鈥渦nderstanding鈥� that he鈥檚 almost stunted, so it鈥檚 something of a relief to us, if not to Violet, when he finally explodes. What keeps the film from seeming shrill is that Tom and Violet, despite everything, genuinely love each other, and their careers dilemma is not played for easy laughs. Grade: B (Rated R for聽sexual content, and language throughout.)