#39 I Give it a Year (2013)

I Give it a Year is essentially a RomCom played out in reverse. The early wedding and happiness scenes appear in the opening few minutes of the film and things go backwards from there. It's not quite as simple as all that, but to say more may spoil the plot. I like to call it an anti-RomCom.

One of the main things a RomCom needs to be is funny and to its credit, I Give it a Year definitely provides a few laughs. Stephen Merchant in particular has a few funny lines, although after a while his crude humour does get slightly predictable. That seems to follow with all the characters throughout the film. It feels like the writers have tried to cram as many jokes in as possible, resulting in quantity rather than quality. However, I did find myself laughing at times and there is some funny scenes.

So onto the performances. The cast is actually pretty decent, which is rare for this genre. Since watching Damages, I've been a big fan of Rose Byrne and, apart from the awful Get Him to the Greek, her big screen credits have been reasonable. She does a good job here in one of the leading roles.  Rafe Spall is believable, if a little cringeworthy at times and Stephen Merchant does his job of acting as the films clown. I don't like Anna Farris and I don't suppose I ever will, however she doesn't annoy me too much here. I also didn't get on with Simon Baker's character. I never found him remotely likeable and didn't, for me, suit the role.

As far as the story is concerned, it's fairly predictable but I do credit it on being slightly different. It gets bogged down in sections where the laughs aren't really there, but it moves quickly enough to limit the tedious parts.

So, is I Give it a Year Worth watching? If you're a fan of the genre then I would recommend it. It's a slightly different take on the traditional RomCom which makes for a more interesting story and there are laughs to be had. Unfortunately, there are also some really awful jokes and these often lead to dull moments. It's a film to watch and not take too seriously. Do that, and I think there is definitely some enjoyment to be had here.