I Give It a Year (2013)

A look at the trials and tribulations of a newlywed couple during their first year of marriage.

Director:

Dan Mazer

Writer:

Dan Mazer (screenplay)

Stars:

Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Alex Macqueen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rose Byrne	...	Nat
Rafe Spall	...	Josh
Alex Macqueen	...	Minister
Stephen Merchant	...	Danny
Jane Asher	...	Diana
Terence Harvey	...	Alec
Minnie Driver	...	Naomi
Jason Flemyng	...	Hugh
Nigel Planer	...	Brian
Maisy Mazer	...	Bridesmaid
Matilda Thykier	...	Bridesmaid
Clare Higgins	...	Elaine
Anna Faris	...	Chloe
Kevin Moore	...	Toastmaster
Olivia Colman	...	Linda

Storyline

A look at the trials and tribulations of a newlywed couple during their first year of marriage.

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Plot Keywords:

couples | marriage | sexual humor | marriage problems | couple | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

Az a bizonyos első év

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

StudioCanal, Anton Capital Entertainment (ACE), Starcrossed Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Ministry of Sound club in London was used for the filming of the Christmas Party.

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Goofs

In order to meet on the platform at the end of the film, all of the characters would need passports to board the train. How do the two late entrants know that they will need them before leaving the house for the meal?

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Connections

References When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

User Reviews

A solid twist on the rom-com genre

The rom-comedy genre has been known for being very formulaic and often entries are a dime a dozen. It is hard to stand out of the crowd and it is often a genre that plays it safe. But I Give It a Year is a film that attempts to twist the rom-com clichés.

Josh (Rafe Spall) and Nat (Rose Byrne) are a couple who after dating for seven months decide to get married, even though they friends and family think they are marrying too soon. And it turns out they are right with their marriage hits the rocks. Their eyes soon wonder to two American, Chloe (Anna Farris), Josh's ex-girlfriend and one of Nat's business clients, Guy (Simon Baker).

Often the formula of rom-coms is that the guy or girl tries to win over someone there are often a series of mishaps and misunderstanding on the way. In I Give It a Year the main two characters are fighting for their marriage as they are two other suitors waiting in the wings. In style I Give it a Year was shot very much like other rom-coms like Bridget Jones, Love Actually and Notting Hill (Working Title made all those films) but I Give It a Year is more of an anti rom-com, being more willing to be risqué. There are some twists on typical rom-com clichés and there is a fine parody of a famous rom-com speech.

I Give it a Year is the first film as a director for Borat writer Dan Mazar and most the humour was sex jokes or awkward/cringe humour and sometimes both. This was all summed up with Stephen Merchant in a show stealing performance giving us his trademark cringe humour and saying very politically incorrect at the most inappropriate times. Olivia Coleman as a bitter man-hating marriage counsellor who has some of the best lines in the film and great physical actions. But some of the jokes are overlong and the first joke where a priest is uncontrollably coughing led to me thinking what have I got myself in for.

Spall and Byrne are fine actors. Spall was very good at playing a prat and Bryne was the straight character of the piece. But she is made to be more of the bad guy out of the pair as she is more willing to flirt with Guy and seeks him out as the marriage starts to crumble. The other love interests are also a bit too perfect, even trying to show Guy as the perfect (plus he owns a massive factory in Britain, why not make him British). The supporting cast are solid, particularly Minnie Driver and Jason Flyming as a marriage couple who hard each other.

I Give It a Year is a fun film that will delight audiences. The cinema audience I saw it with enjoyed it. There are enough jokes and twists the rom-com genre to keep the film fresh.