I Give It A Year Synopsis: Newlywed couple Nat and Josh are deliriously happy despite their differences, though friends and family aren’t convinced that they can last. With their first anniversary approaching and attractive alternatives in the mix, can they last?
After a whirlwind of seven months together, Josh (Rafe Spall) and Nat (Rose Byrne) tie the knot. It probably doesn’t bode well for the union that the priest can’t pronounce them ‘husband and wife’ during the wedding ceremony without nearly coughing up a lung.
Nat’s sister Naomi (the wonderful Minnie Driver) murmurs to her husband, ‘I give it a year’ before Josh and Nat kiss and seal the deal. Add in a somewhat awkward and uncomfortable best-man toast by Danny (Stephen Merchant), and you begin to realize that this marriage is not starting off on the right foot.
Fast forward a couple of months, and it’s clear that Josh and Nat are struggling. The movie paces itself by shifting between Josh and Nat visiting a marriage counselor, as they’ve committed to making the marriage work, and ‘flashbacks’ to the moments in their marriage that led them to the counselor in the first place.
Other than the usual marriage issues that most couples experience – not replacing the toilet paper roll, letting the trash bin run over, etc. – Josh and Nat find one another’s quirky personality traits annoying rather than charming or endearing.
Not helping matters is the inclusion of Nat’s hunky new client Guy (Simon Baker), and Josh’s ex-girlfriend turned confidant, Chloe (Anna Faris). It seems pretty clear that Josh is meant to be with Chloe and Nat with Guy based on personalities alone, but the couple seems afraid of failure – and hurting each other’s feelings – and agrees to follow their counselor’s suggestion to do whatever it takes to hit the one year mark in their marriage.
Essentially, you find yourself watching a marriage unravel as each spouse lives out their separate rom-com with other people, tropes included, and concluding with, of course, a run through the rain to declare….well, it’s not love, exactly. But it’s very on the nose and pokes fun at the expected happily ever after you often find in a romantic comedy.
The British humor pushed boundaries, but that’s what British comedy is meant to do. The cast was fabulous, with plenty of chemistry. Honestly, I could watch Stephen Merchant in just about anything if he promises to make every scene as uncomfortable as possible. Could I have done without some of the full-frontal nudity? Eh, probably.
Despite some of the reviews, I did enjoy I Give It A Year quite a bit, and I would recommend it to any rom-com fan.
Watched: 09/05/2018
Notable Song: Don’t Dream It’s Over by LOLO
