The Five-Year Engagement

Jason Segel, Emily Blunt

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Rating: B-

Tom (Segel) proposes to his year-long girlfriend Violet (Blunt) but staying engaged is something that becomes too easy for them. Violet gets accepted at Michigan University to be a part of the department of psychology team, something she has been working years at. So she and Tom uproot their San Franciscan lives to move to Michigan, where talented chef Tom can only find work as a sandwich maker at a popular cafe in town. The couple finds various reasons to prolong their wedding, only to come to the important question staring them in the face: what is more important- getting ahead in Violet's career or finally tying the knot?

Just another romantic comedy of the year, "The Five-Year Engagement" is an unexplored story line of a couple who keep putting off their wedding. With some cliches and predictable drama, it's still a film with a promising tagline to reel in the viewers. Judging from the commercial, this movie appears humorous and with actors Segel and Blunt as the leads, it could be potentially worth seeing.

While Tom struggles to accept the path his life is taking, Violet gets drawn deep in her dream as she sets out to what she's been working towards. Though the couple claims to know each other better than anyone else, they have trouble talking about the obvious, Tom's downward spiral of what his life has become and the never-ending engagement. The movie takes on a realism that most romantic comedies don't. It deals with the hardships that would delay a couple getting married, like Tom's resentment of what his career has become over the potential of what it could have been.

"The Five-Year Engagement" actually feels like a five-year engagement when viewing this movie. Only at a running time of two hours, viewers go through the stages of boredom and entertained numerous times. The film opens up and introduces the characters and their excitement of getting engaged. Then as conflict after conflict keep reoccurring, it reaches a slow point. It's hard to predict the outcome when it feels like it should be ending any minute but there's actually thirty minutes left. Then finally the ending arrives, though a bit rushed it comes off as spontaneous and works out.

In the end, I would recommend waiting for "The Five-Year Engagement" to be released on DVD before spending money at the movies to see it. It depends on your movie tastes, because those who are a big fan of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Bridesmaids" might actually enjoy this a lot then someone who is looking to be entertained but doesn't really care about the premis.

How Do You Know

Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson

Directed by James L. Brooks

Rating: 2 stars

When Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) gets cut from the USA softball team, she finds herself stuck not knowing what to do with her life. She goes on a date with Matty (Owen Wilson), a naive pro baseball player. George (Paul Rudd) is being blamed with some bad news from his company and doesn't hit it off so well when he is set up on a date with Lisa. Yet, George really likes Lisa. Lisa must figure out which guy she wants.

How Do You Know is two hours of my life I will never get back. Judging from the preview, you know it's going to be an okay movie. What I didn't know was that it would be a terrible movie. Reese Witherspoon's character is annoying and (for lack of a better word) dumb. This was a terrible role for her to be cast in. Same goes for Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson! Paul Rudd plays this corporate guy who is just as annoying while Owen Wilson plays a professional baseball player who sleeps around and has the common sense of a two-year-old. The only reason I rated this movie two stars instead of one is because this movie probably appeals to some people out there. Honestly, this movie should never have been made. Usually I'd recommend movies to people who like the cast but honestly, if you are a fan of any of the cast in this movie, you will find yourself wondering the same thing as me; how could a movie be so horrible? Save yourself two hours and watch something else.

Love and Other Drugs

Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway

Directed by Edward Zwick

Rating: 5 stars

This romantic comedy wouldn't have been so good without the two actors cast as the lead roles. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway are so good at making you feel the emotions they go through. Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a young pharmaceutical salesman. He'll do anything to make the sale, so he and his mentor Bruce (Oliver Platt) can make it to the big city of Chicago where they will make tons of money. Along the way, Jamie meets Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), a young 26-year-old who has been diagnosed with Parkinsons. They both agree that they're both not looking for a relationship but slowly, they're "friends with benefits" relationship turns into the real thing. Of course, this wouldn't be a real love story without problems and they argue and break up. But in the end, they decided to work things out and Jamie wants to stay, despite her disease.

I would give this movie five stars because it's not your typical romance/love story. Sure, boy is a jerk, boy meets girl, boy likes girl, eventually boy loves girl, and then there's a happy ending. But what's different about this movie is that it shows Jamie and Maggie's relationship isn't perfect. When they both meet, they could care less about committing and use each other for sex. Eventually, they fall for each other but their relationship still isn't perfect. Maggie has Parkinson's disease which she has to deal with as it slowly gets worse. During this hard time, she feels like Jamie won't want to stay and that'll only hurt her later. Breaking up doesn't help, in the end they realize that they don't want anyone else.

What made this a good movie was that it made you laugh, it made you feel sad, and some people out there could probably connect with this story. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway are a perfect on-screen couple, they compliment eachother so well. You might remember that they played husband and wife in "Brokeback Mountain". Since this movie is rated R (and with good cause), I would recommend this movie to those who don't mind nudity or sex scenes. That was pretty much why the movie was rated R. It was definitely for mature audiences since it contained things adults would understand, though I'm sure there's lots of teenagers who would understand too. So, if you're feeling up to spending $8.50 or however much it costs to go to the movies these days and you're wondering what movie you want to see, I would recommend this one. It's for guys and girls! So don't think it's just another "chick flick". Guys, you'll find things to laugh at at this movie too.