The Five Year Engagement...

My ongoing effort to get us out of the house more often took us to the movie theater tonight, where we were actually able agree on a romantic comedy. This is notable mainly because Justin is a very tough sell on any movie that remotely comes across as being marketed toward women, and the film's title, The Five-Year Engagement, wasn't doing me any favors. However, the film's cast did boast the presence of Jason Segel, whose work Justin admires, and whom I've gained an appreciation for since his involvement with the latest Muppet movie. Unlike many compromises, when both sides end up unhappy, both Justin and I really ended up enjoying ourselves.

The movie turned out to be raunchier than I had expected, but then again, given that Jason Segel was the leading man and Judd Apatow as a co-producer, I really should have seen that coming. While I wouldn't have expected such material to work for Emily Blunt, whose particular brand of neurosis was perfectly showcased in The Devil Wears Prada, she actually demonstrated tremendous chemistry with Segel, and scored some of the film's more memorable lines. Plus, the film boasted a brilliant supporting cast, from an endearing performance by a nearly-unrecognizable Alison Brie, to the scene-stealing work of Chris Parnell, to a number of cameos by various high-profile comedians, The Five-Year Engagement was practically brimming over with talent.

Even if the film reached its climax in a typically unrealistic but highly romantic way, I respect The Five-Year Engagement for presenting a more believable take on modern relationships. Life may not always live up to our expectations, and we may have to adapt the vision we had for ourselves, but happy endings are still possible. I may be prone to buy into that message given my own state of romantic bliss, and I know that there are many people out there for whom things don't work out. But I still think The Five-Year Engagement makes a perfect date-night movie, with enough bawdy humor to keep the men engaged, and sufficient romantic optimism to make the ladies swoon.