|
'I Think I Love My Wife' movie review |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Tom Maurstad, McClatchy-Tribune
|
|
Thursday, 15 March 2007 |
|
|
|
|
___
I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE
Grade: C-plus
Starring Chris Rock, Kerry Washington, Gina Torres and Steve Buscemi. Directed by Rock. R (strong language, sexual content). 94 min. In wide release.
——
There's a French new wave film that writer, director and star Chris Rock says he based his new film, "I Think I Love My Wife," on. That would be Eric Rohmer's 1972 feature, "Chloe in the Afternoon," a sweet-sad little "moral tale" that a lot of Chris Rock fans may not have seen.
No matter, because save for the essential set-up and a few superficial touches, Rock's new movie is mostly based on one of his stand-up routines with which all of his fans will be exceedingly familiar. In his stand-up persona, Chris Rock is never smarter/stronger/funnier than when he is prowling the stage talking about the contradictory impulses and demands of being a married man. But something gets lost in the transition to big-screen story, and smart, strong and funny have nothing to do with his character, his performance or his movie.
With Rock providing extended narration, we meet his Richard Cooper, a happily married investment banker who outwardly appears to have the perfect life. Inwardly, however, he's bored and restless, mainly because his beautiful wife, Brenda (Gina Torres), refuses to have sex with him — in a montage of chilly receptions, she greets his amorous advances with the disclaimer, "My face hurts." As familiar as this terrain may be in movies, it is universal and essential enough to provide plenty of opportunities for comic insights and funny-because-it's-true moments. And when Richard's sexy-single friend from the past, Nikki (Kerry Washington) pops back into his life, the scene is set.
But, as written by Rock with the help of co-writer/comedian Louis C.K., the movie never breaks the surface of its characters or their situation. And Rock's paint-by-numbers approach as director only compounds the movie's flat and formulaic feel. As a performer, Rock can conjure vulnerability and menace in the same breath, but as an actor — not counting his crackhead in "New Jack City" — Rock is stuck somewhere between mild-mannered and irritated. He occasionally flashes with that righteous rage, but only in throwaway lines and sideline scenes, as when he manufactures a fight with his wife about her always making chicken for dinner as an excuse to storm out of the house and go meet his would-be mistress. "I'm going out of my finger-lickin' mind."
That's a recurring theme of "I Think I Love My Wife": the best parts of it are in the margins and overlooked in the movie's determination to keep the narrative ball rolling. Some of the best and potentially riches moments in the film are in passing exchanges between Richard and his wife about what expressions of race and culture are or aren't appropriate in front of their children. But aside from generating a few funny lines, the movie just skims right over them.
Likewise, the talented cast also goes mostly untapped. As the sexy Nikki, Washington burns up the assumptions viewers who know her only as the long-suffering wife in "Ray" may have made. But the movie never bothers answering or even acknowledging any of the obvious questions raised about her character, so sexy is all we ever get. And why cast Steve Buscemi as Richard's office pal if you're not going to give him a chance to do anything but shake his head and cluck sympathetically?
There are some real, genuinely funny-insightful moments in this comedy about how denial can turn a good thing bad — such as when Richard realizes that Nikki has become "a friend I can't tell my wife about." But those moments only serve to highlight what could have been but isn't. | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
