I Give It a Year
| I Give It a Year | |
|---|---|
 UK release poster | |
| Directed by | Dan Mazer |
| Written by | Dan Mazer |
| Produced by | Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Kris Thykier |
| Starring | Rose Byrne Rafe Spall Anna Faris Simon Baker Stephen Merchant Minnie Driver Jason Flemyng Olivia Colman |
| Cinematography | Ben Davis |
| Edited by | Tony Cranstoun |
| Music by | Ilan Eshkeri |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | StudioCanal Magnolia Pictures (USA)[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes[2] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | €12.7 million[3] |
| Box office | $28.2 million[4] |
I Give It a Year is a 2013 British romantic comedy film, written and directed by Dan Mazer and starring Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Faris and Simon Baker. The film was based and filmed in London and was released on 8 February 2013.
I Give It a Year was Mazer's directorial debut. He was previously best known for co-writing the Sacha Baron Cohen films Borat and Brüno.
Plot
Ambitious high-flyer Nat (Rose Byrne) and struggling writer Josh (Rafe Spall) fall in love at first sight at a party. After seven months together they decide to marry. The film highlights their struggles during their first year of marriage, switching back and forth from flashbacks of the year's action to a marriage-guidance counselor's office. Their wedding goes as planned despite many friends' comments that the marriage will not last, an embarrassing best man's speech, and a coughing priest.
When Nat returns to work after the honeymoon, she's embarrassed when Josh calls her in the office—on speakerphone in front of her colleagues—to tell her she is sexy and that he misses her, causing her to abruptly hang up on him. Later, the two meet with their solicitor to discuss how to handle medical crises (last wishes). Nat becomes annoyed when Josh, knowing she would be late, admitted that he deliberately told her the wrong time, causing her to turn up early.
The couple throw a dinner party to use their wedding gifts. Some of their differences are highlighted when they talk about their honeymoon in Morocco: Nat didn't enjoy the leather museum; Josh remembers it as interesting. When the topic changes to Josh's former flame, Chloe (Anna Faris), Nat discovers that the two never officially broke up when Chloe departed to Africa for four years. In the kitchen Chloe apologizes to Nat for not realising she didn't know. The women talk about the constrictions of marriage. Nat's sister Naomi has issues with her own husband's annoying habits. Josh's best man Danny asks Chloe out but is rebuffed.
Nat tries to discourage Josh from accompanying her to a work party, but he is determined, irritating her. At the party, he makes a fool of himself with embarrassing dancing and standing next to a poster he can joke about during the night. When he approaches Nat while she's talking with Guy (Simon Baker), she still doesn't reveal that he is her husband and Guy attempts to shake him off, assuming he's an unwanted menace. Guy asks her to dinner and Nat declines. Incredibly annoyed at Josh for embarrassing her at the party, she heads home without him.
Josh arrives at a restaurant party that was organized to celebrate his and Nat's first anniversary, and he tells Nat that he thinks she is the perfect wife, just not for him. He asks her for a divorce and she immediately and delightedly agrees. The couple rejoice at the situation and immediately leave the party one after the other.
Meanwhile, Guy and Chloe are at the railway station waiting to go to Paris on a romantic trip. Josh finds them and professes his love for Chloe. When it's discovered that he split up with Nat, the two are shocked. Nat appears behind Josh, who awkwardly assumed he is the one she wants to speak to, but it turns out she was there for Guy. After a short exchange they happily discuss how perfect Guy and Chloe are for them. In the end, Chloe and Guy mutually break up. Nat ends up kissing Guy and Chloe shares a kiss with Josh.
Cast
- Rose Byrne as Nat Redfern
- Rafe Spall as Josh Moss
- Anna Faris as Chloe
- Simon Baker as Guy Harrap
- Stephen Merchant as Danny
- Minnie Driver as Naomi
- Jason Flemyng as Hugh
- Olivia Colman as Linda
- Jane Asher as Diana
- Nigel Planer as Brian
- Clare Higgins as Elaine
- Sue Wallace as Janet
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 52% based on 81 reviews and a average score of 3.8/10.[5] On Metacritic, the film has score of 50% based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]
Peter Keough of the Boston Globe wrote "Though Mazer’s ambition is laudable, he has not yet integrated the comedy of manners into the comedy of no manners."[citation needed] While Stephanie Merry of the Washington Post wrote "In addition to some trite set pieces, writer-director Dan Mazer serves up nothing more than conspicuous cynicism masquerading as comedy."[citation needed]
Box office
The film accumulated a total domestic gross of $34,657 with it only generating $5,436 on its opening weekend ranking it at #77. It went on to be a moderately successful film with a worldwide total of $28,234,657.
Home media
I Give It a Year was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 3, 2013.
References
- ^ Magnolia takes I Give It A Year | News | Screen
- ^ "I GIVE IT A YEAR". British Board of Film Classification. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- ^ http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=13531
- ^ "I Give It a Year (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
- ^ "I Give It a Year (2013)". Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ "I Give It a Year". Retrieved 2019-08-31.
External links
