IGIAY is the
hilarious new British “anti-rom-com” from Dan Mazer (writer of 'Borat' and
'Bruno') that follows a newlywed couple through their first year of married
life. After a whirlwind romance highflying corporate PR woman Nat (Rose Byrne)
and struggling novelist Josh (Rafe Spall) tie the knot and are an undisputed
example that opposites can attract. They face doubt from friends and family
from the onset and are clearly attracted to other people (Anna Faris and Simon
Baker). Determined to prove their sceptics wrong they set their sights on
making it to their first anniversary, but the honeymoon period is definitely
over and 365 days starts to feel like a very long time indeed…
Mazer has amassed a fantastically funny cast, with Byrne and
Spall capturing their shared frustration of each other throughout with
excellent comedic timing – Byrne, in particular, has a real knack for the
incredulous side glance at just the right moment. Minnie Driver steals every
scene she’s in as Nat’s husband-hating older sister, and Stephen Merchant
displays wildly inappropriate humour in an unsurprisingly Gervaisian manner as
Josh’s best friend (and man – his speech at the wedding is brilliant). Notable
too is Anna Faris’s failed bedroom scene, and Olivia Coleman as a hysterically unprofessional
and slightly unhinged marriage counsellor.
This certainly isn’t your average rom-com. It’s achingly funny,
but not particularly romantic. Despite trying to break the mould by not
following the traditional rom-com formula – as immortalised in every one of
Hugh Grant’s films – the ending is still really obvious from half an hour in.
It’s a shame, as the neat finish and predictability throughout almost let down
what is otherwise a fantastic film. That being said, the plot is original: Nat
and Josh are so ill-suited even Richard Curtis couldn’t make them work, but
watching them try is the best part of the film. The jokes are aplenty, not failing
to have the audience in stitches for the entire 97 minutes.
It’s definitely worth a watch. As a solid British comedy
film – with a dash of romance: it does begin with a wedding after all – IGIAY brings in the laughs and is a
welcome relief from the heavy two-hour-plus films that are dominating cinemas
during this awards season. It’s sweet, hilarious and offers a refreshingly
different approach to the genre – what’s not to love?
****
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