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SXSW Review: 'I Give It A Year' Is A Woefully Inept Deconstruction Of Romantic Comedies

By Drew Taylor
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March 15, 2013 8:58 AM
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2 Comments

Reviews

There's a certain amount of winky irreverence built into "I Give It A Year," based on its title alone, which is something that people snarl, usually at the weddings of people who they feel are fundamentally incompatible. The title suggests that, while it might appear to be a bouncy romantic comedy, it has some seriously acidic undertones. This sensation is solidified once you know that Dan Mazer, one of Sacha Baron Cohen's confederates and a co-writer on both "Borat" and "Bruno," wrote and directed "I Give It A Year." Maybe it's the "Cabin in the Woods" of romantic comedies – something that simultaneously deconstructs the genre while celebrating it (and ultimately elevating it to the next plateau). Unfortunately, "I Give It A Year" is a woefully inept, unfunny, unsexy romantic comedy that falls into all the pitfalls and clichés that it willingly tries to avoid.

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Watch: ‘I Give It A Year’ Premieres Today In U.K.; Teases U.S. With 3 More Clips

By Tess Hofmann
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February 8, 2013 10:20 AM
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1 Comment

News

“I Give It A Year” drops today in the U.K., and while U.S. distribution still hasn’t been secured, the rom-com’s SXSW stateside premiere in March should guarantee that someone picks it up. Witha cast of US-friendly faces including Rose Byrne, Anna Faris, Minnie Driver and Simon Baker, plus one of the most seriously promising rom-com trailers of its genre in years -- it seems like a no brainer. But on the off chance that a U.S. release is delayed, we can probably just piece together the teasers that keep coming out and get something close to a feature film.

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SXSW 2013 Line Up Adds 'Before Midnight,' Joss Whedon' 'Much Ado About Nothing,' Sundance Hits & More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 31, 2013 3:00 PM
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News

Put on the extra-loose pants and get ready for some BBQ. Austin is fixing to welcome the cinematic world in March with the SXSW Film Festival, and today they've dropped their full slate of features. And adding to a line up that already includes "Evil Dead," "Spring Breakers" and "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" is a program of interesting premieres and Sundance favorites. Let us go forth.

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Watch: 2 Clips From 'I Give It A Year' Highlight Unsuccessful Attempts At Romance

By India Ross
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January 31, 2013 11:23 AM
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1 Comment

News

There is a Richard Curtis-shaped hole in British comedy. After "Love, Actually" – and to a lesser extent, 'Bridget Jones 2,' and the best-forgotten "The Boat That Rocked" – the genre has been somewhat adrift, and as we wait to see if "About Time" will return him to his former glory, there are some other efforts on the way that will potentially fill the void.

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'I Give It A Year' Soundtrack Features Jessie Ware, DJ Shadow, Dizzee Rascal & More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 21, 2013 6:15 PM
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1 Comment

News

Even though it's still without a domestic release date, we're looking forward to the upcoming rom-com "I Give It A Year," that looks like a fresh and funny take on a familiar concept. To refresh your memory, the film, which stars Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Simon Baker, Stephen Merchant, Minnie Driver, and Anna Faris, tells the story of a newlywed couple who, soon after getting hitched, have their bond tested. And us the movie gears up to open overseas, we get another look at the soundtrack details that have dropped.

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Watch: Stephen Merchant's Awkward Best Man Speech In Clip From 'I Give It A Year'

By Joe Cunningham
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January 16, 2013 12:18 PM
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2 Comments

News

It may not have a U.S. release date yet (or even a distributor for that matter) but we’re still looking forward to the British rom-com “I Give It A Year.” The film is Dan Mazer’s first as director (after a string of writing credits on Sacha Baron Cohen’s TV shows and movies) and stars Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne as a couple exploring the trials and tribulations that occur during their first year of marriage. The cast also boasts Anna Faris, Simon Baker, Jason Flemyng, Minnie Driver and - as you’ll see from the following clip – Stephen Merchant.

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Watch: Play Christmas Charades In First Clip From Rom-Com 'I Give It A Year' With Rose Byrne & Rafe Spall

By Joe Cunningham
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December 20, 2012 4:32 PM
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News

We’re really looking forward to “I Give It a Year,” particularly after the first couple of trailers, which showed a lot of promise and included Minnie Driver uttering the immortal line: “I’d ruin Bieber.” The film will star a whole host of people who are hard not to like, including Stephen Merchant, Jason Flemyng, Anna Faris, Olivia Colman, Simon Baker and the aforementioned Driver. The lead roles are filled by up-and-comer Rafe Spall (who we’ve yet to see be anything short of great in anything on the big screen), and Rose Byrne, who announced to the world how hilarious she was last year in “Bridesmaids.”

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I'd Ruin Bieber: New Trailer For Promising Brit Rom-Com 'I Give It A Year' Starring Rose Byrne & Rafe Spall

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 14, 2012 12:30 PM
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1 Comment

News

After digesting a meal this month of Very Important Movies, you might be in the mood for something of a palate cleanser, and at least for folks overseas anyway, a very promising and potentially charming rom-com is on the way.

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Watch: Trailer For 'I Give It A Year' With Rose Byrne & Rafe Spall Promises A Rare Decent Rom-Com

By Oliver Lyttelton
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November 21, 2012 11:45 AM
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1 Comment

News

Perhaps no genre of film has as low a rate of return as the romantic comedy. Even horror films have the occasional subversive festival gem to prop up fan interest every so often, but serious fans of the rom-com are reduced to getting their jollies from the amiable, but botched likes of "Crazy Stupid Love" and "The Five-Year Engagement," films which are no great shakes, but look like masterpieces compared to stuff like "Something Borrowed" and "New Years Eve," that makes up most of the films of this type. We're a long way from "When Harry Met Sally," or even "Bridget Jones' Diary."

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Rose Byrne & Anna Faris Say 'I Give It A Year'

By Joe Cunningham
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March 6, 2012 9:03 AM
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News

We certainly never saw it coming back when he was turning in small but hilarious performances in Edgar Wright's "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," but in 2012 Rafe Spall is set to become a leading man in a Working Title rom-com. Neither did we imagine that any offspring of Timothy Spall (as much as we love him) would ever be a romantic lead. But after significant roles in "Anonymous" and "One Day" Spall the younger looks set to be a star, and now we know who his other half will be in his first big rom-com. And lucky, lucky him, because it's only the stunning and ridiculously talented Rose Byrne.

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