The focus of the new love-story movie "I give it a year" is the ambitious lady advertising executive, Nat (played by Rose Byrne). She can quickly identify threats to her aspirations, and attends parties to network. She has recently married the witty, articulate and embarrassing Josh (played by Rafe Spall), who is a novelist. His exuberant, embarrassing dancing ("...either that or he is being sodomised by the invisible man") and his inappropriate sexual allusions while miming in games of charades, recur throughout this account of their relationship, as Josh's stocks fall lower and lower.
Chloe (charmingly played by Anna Faris) is Josh's other, former love- interest. One of the best performances was by Stephen Merchant who played Danny, the utterly gauche wedding best man, convincingly oblivious to the offence he was causing, as Josh was. The serious-minded Nat, Chloe and Guy (wealthy, educated US American played by Simon Baker) contrast well with Josh and Danny.
The character of the doctor's wife (played by Minnie Driver) was like Beatrice with Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, constantly humorously pragmatic, reinforcing a strong feminist element in the movie.
While Nat and Josh's love affair is painted with nice broad strokes - a kiss in the rain, a New Year party, a photograph in a bookshop with one of Josh's books, a thrown bouquet of flowers and a honeymoon in Venice - , the mundane details of married life - emptying the rubbish bin and putting more loo-roll in the dispenser in the bathroom, for example - seemed clichéed and not well thought out. Similarly the two broken hooks on the bra, which occupy such a central thematic position in the film, risk seeming banal.
I am quite surprised that "I give it a year" was given a 15 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification, considering the explicit sexual suggestion in the scene when Guy, the rich client, discusses the advertising contract with Nat at her company's offices, and considering the explicit images accidentally appearing on the digital photo frame in Nat's parent's lounge.
Chloe (charmingly played by Anna Faris) is Josh's other, former love- interest. One of the best performances was by Stephen Merchant who played Danny, the utterly gauche wedding best man, convincingly oblivious to the offence he was causing, as Josh was. The serious-minded Nat, Chloe and Guy (wealthy, educated US American played by Simon Baker) contrast well with Josh and Danny.
The character of the doctor's wife (played by Minnie Driver) was like Beatrice with Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, constantly humorously pragmatic, reinforcing a strong feminist element in the movie.
While Nat and Josh's love affair is painted with nice broad strokes - a kiss in the rain, a New Year party, a photograph in a bookshop with one of Josh's books, a thrown bouquet of flowers and a honeymoon in Venice - , the mundane details of married life - emptying the rubbish bin and putting more loo-roll in the dispenser in the bathroom, for example - seemed clichéed and not well thought out. Similarly the two broken hooks on the bra, which occupy such a central thematic position in the film, risk seeming banal.
I am quite surprised that "I give it a year" was given a 15 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification, considering the explicit sexual suggestion in the scene when Guy, the rich client, discusses the advertising contract with Nat at her company's offices, and considering the explicit images accidentally appearing on the digital photo frame in Nat's parent's lounge.
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