Cast: Who are we kidding? The cast is why I saw this one. Jason Segel is great in this, but, unlike Forgetting Sarah Marshall or I Love You Man, this didn't always feel like he was in his element. Emily Blunt hasn't been able to do a good comedy since The Devil Wears Prada and this reminds you how much of a shame that is. Alison Brie and Chris Pratt are great, if not underused, and I would love to see a movie like this starring them one day (not as these characters. I just think they could move into starring roles with ease). The rest of the cast is a bunch of "oh, that guy" actors and actresses who all play their parts well.
Plot: It is eerie how similar this movie is to Like/Crazy, which hurt it a little for me. The girl is British. The story spans years. The ups and downs of the story even hit similar beats. This is a comedy though, a traditional one too, so it had some trouble mining it for the comedy. As a result, the move is well over 2 hours. Instead of meshing the comedy with the plot, the two felt distinct from one another, which why it is so long. Personally, I think the movie would've worked better if it was less concerned with the journey over the five years and let us deal with the fifth year for the majority of the time.
I didn't get surprised by anything in the movie, although that's not a bad thing. The movie isn't trying to reinvent the wheel here. It just feels like a drop off from Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Elephant in the Room: Is this a comedy or a romantic comedy? Other Apatow relationship movies, such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up, are clearly comedies first. This one isn't. And, it's a traditional RomCom, which I prefer. This movie could easily have gone the direction of The Break Up, but it understood that that would be a mistake. There is a nice, cheesy happy ending and it works best that way. Just know that.
To Sum Things Up:
This is a great date movie, I would guess. I won't be rushing to see it again on DVD or anything, but it was worth my ticket.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
Unrelated: I like THE BREAK UP, and I don't care who knows it!
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