The Five-Year Engagement (2012)

One year after meeting, Tom proposes to his girlfriend, Violet, but unexpected events keep tripping them up as they look to walk down the aisle together.

Director:

Nicholas Stoller

Writers:

Jason Segel (screenplay), Nicholas Stoller (screenplay)

Stars:

Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Segel	...	Tom Solomon
Emily Blunt	...	Violet Barnes
Chris Pratt	...	Alex Eilhauer
Alison Brie	...	Suzie Barnes-Eilhauer
Lauren Weedman	...	Chef Sally
Mimi Kennedy	...	Carol Solomon
David Paymer	...	Pete Solomon
Jacki Weaver	...	Sylvia Dickerson-Barnes
Jim Piddock	...	George Barnes
Eric Scott Cooper	...	B&B Manager
Dakota Johnson	...	Audrey
Jane Carr	...	Grandma Katherine
Clement von Franckenstein	...	Grandpa Baba
Michael Ensign	...	Grandpa Harold
Madge Levinson	...	Grandma Leonora

Storyline

In San Francisco, after a year's relationship, Tom proposes to Violet; she accepts. She's an experimental psychologist, hoping for a post-doc at Cal. He's a sous chef who runs the kitchen when the chef is away. When Cal falls through and she gets an offer in Ann Arbor, Tom agrees to support the move, turning down a job as chef at a new restaurant. The move requires postponing the wedding. At Michigan, Violet is in her element, but Tom is underemployed and frustrated; he's Stoic for a while, but when two years in Michigan become four, Tom's frustrations boil over, and on the eve of yet another wedding date, they must make a choice. Is there any other alternative?

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Plot Keywords:

restaurant | sous chef | wedding date | kitchen | englishwoman abroad | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about the journey between popping the question and tying the knot.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, and language throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official Blog Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eternamente comprometidos

Filming Locations:

Beltane Ranch, Glen Ellen, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$10,610,060 (USA) (27 April 2012)

Gross:

$28,644,770 (USA) (15 June 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Apatow Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Almost all of the restaurant scenes are shot inside the MGM Grand Detroit.

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Goofs

Violet's outfit changes during the viewing of the donut testing participants. She starts in the same outfit, changes to another, then is suddenly back in the original outfit.

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Quotes

Violet Barnes: What is your crossbow doing on the kitchen table?
Tom Solomon: A crossbow doesn't clean itself, you know.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: The Five-Year Engagement (2012)

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Soundtracks

"End Of A Spark"
Written by Josh Hook, Graham Wright, Greg Alsop, Dave Monks (as David Monks)
Performed by Tokyo Police Club
Courtesy of Mom and Pop Music
By arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

A passable romantic comedy

There are risks when romantic comedy is injected with "truth." Too little, and it feels like a desperate attempt to give the film credibility. Too much and it starts to feel uncomfortable as the comedy is buried in what appear to be a string of life lessons. The Five-Year Engagement tries to find a balance between comedy and truth and after a bit over two hours, almost succeeds.

That's not to say the film is bad. It's far from it, especially compared to what usually passes for a romantic comedy these days. Its leads (Emily Blunt and Jason Segel) have a surprising, easy chemistry and director Nicholas Stoller (who co-wrote with Segel) uses the talented supporting cast to add new perspective and layers to what is a pretty straightforward story.

Violet (Blunt) is a post-doctorate student. Tom (Segel) is a rising star of a chef in San Francisco. They get engaged on their first anniversary and while most romantic comedies would end here, The Five-Year Engagement does something that romantic comedies fail to do - showing what happens after the "happy ending." In doing so, we get to see every crack, seam and bump in their relationship, from Tom's resentment at leaving his dream job behind to follow Violet after she receives a fellowship at the University of Michigan, to Violet's increasing frustration at how Tom changes during his relocation.

It's a credit to Segel and Stoller that the situations that arise do so organically and don't feel forced in for shock value, and when things start to deteroriate, we not only see it coming, we solemnly nod because it is inevitable.

The film has issues, though, and they almost capsize the film. The most glaring one is the running time. The film clocks in at a bit over two hours, and you feel every grueling minute of it. The pacing and editing are a near disaster and at times, watching feels more like a chore than a good time. This is partially because the film, while billed as a romantic comedy, is only funny in spurts. The serious 'truths' of being in a relationship take center stage, which is in itself not a bad thing, but in a comedy, it really drags the film down.

The ending is typical rom-com schmaltz, though, as if the filmmakers snapped out of their malaise, thought "hey, aren't we making a comedy?" and wisely ended the film on an acceptably quirky note.

In the end, The Five-Year Engagement is serviceable entertainment, but could have been a lot more had they been able to strike the delicate balance they were trying for.

Daniel FilmPulse.net