I Give It A Year (2013) Review

Richard Curtis deserves a lot of credit for I GIVE IT A YEAR. Not because he wrote it, but because it shows just how difficult it actually is to write a charming British Romantic Comedy and how good he actually is at it. The film tries too hard to be whimsical and relies too heavily on tired cringe-inducing Gervais-esque awkwardness to ever really win you over.

From the very beginning, I found it hard to believe that a group of people who clearly dislike each other so much would actually still be friends and stay together. Too many farcical situations are sustained by the increasingly unlikely scenario of nobody actually saying anything and ultimately it’s hard to root for or care about any of the characters except perhaps the always cute as a button Anna Faris (although she does look like she’s had some weird Botox in this film). There’s precious little chemistry between the cast and Director Dan Mazar’s debut feature betrays his roots in television, a medium he might be better sticking with.

I had such high hopes for I GIVE IT A YEAR thanks to the acerbically witty trailer and despite the apparent presence of Stephen Merchant, but it disappointed on almost every level. Never mind a year, I kind of regret giving it the 97 minutes of its running time.

I give it a 5.

5/10