Psycho Drive-In logo
Search
  • PDI Press
    Featured
    • ON SALE NOW! NOIRLATHOTEP 2: MORE TALES OF LOVECRAFTIAN CRIME!!

      Nate Abernethy
      December 31, 2018
      News, PDI Press, PDI Press Catalog
    Recent
    • ON SALE NOW! NOIRLATHOTEP 2: MORE TALES OF LOVECRAFTIAN CRIME!!

      psychodr
      December 31, 2018
    • VOICES FROM THE NIGHT: The Living Dead Tell Their Stories

      John E. Meredith
      October 31, 2018
    • American Carnage: Tales of Trumpian Dystopia

      psychodr
      March 24, 2018
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • Knives Out (2019)

      Nate Abernethy
      November 29, 2019
      Movies, Reviews
    Recent
    • Knives Out (2019)

      Nate Zoebl
      November 29, 2019
    • Night Work (2019)

      Nate Zoebl
      November 8, 2019
    • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) Blu-ray

      Paul Brian McCoy
      November 5, 2019
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
    Featured
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Nate Abernethy
      July 13, 2018
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Dory Hoffman
      July 13, 2018
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Dan Lee
      March 7, 2017
    • Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

      Andre Lamar
      September 29, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

      Jason Sacks
      July 28, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

      Dave Hearn, Paul Brian McCoy
      July 27, 2016
    • Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

      Gary Richardson, Laura Akers
      April 16, 2016
  • News
    Featured
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      Nate Abernethy
      July 30, 2019
      DVD/Blu-ray, News
    Recent
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      psychodr
      July 30, 2019
    • X-Men: Dark Phoenix arrives on Digital 9/3 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD 9/17

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 16, 2019
    • Avengers: Endgame arrives on Digital 7/30 and Blu-ray 8/13

      psychodr
      July 16, 2019
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Breaking
  • Knives Out (2019)
  • Night Work (2019)
  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) Blu-ray
  • Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
  • Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
  • The Lighthouse (2019)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Home
Movies

Festival Review: I Give It a Year (2013)

Nate Abernethy
May 8, 2013
Movies, Reviews

Festival season is in full swing in the summer, so we naturally wind up with a plethora of film reviews from various festivals around the country, even after the festivals are long over. We’ve chosen to dole them out to you individually, and today Nate Abernethy covers I Give It a Year, the feature film debut of Ali G collaborator Dan Mazer. Mazer worked with Ali G as a director and writer on Da Ali G Show but this is the first time he has helmed the director’s chair in film. Mazer also wrote the film, which concerns the trials and tribulations of a newly married couple in their first year of marriage. Nate saw this film at this year’s SXSW Film festival.

I_Give_It_A_Year_Movie_Poster

I still die laughing every single time I revisit Da Ali G Show. No one outside of perhaps Australian comedy collective The Chaser has done satire comedy as brilliantly and effortlessly as the writing duo of Dan Mazer and Sacha Baron Cohen. The pair knows funny like nobody’s business and their comedic approaches complement each other perfectly. So how does Mazer’s first cinematic outing without Cohen fare? Despite an incredibly talented cast, Cohen’s balancing presence is sorely missed and Mazer’s amateurish directing drags I Give It A Year down into a humorous but unremarkable affair.

I Give It A Year heralds itself as breaking all the rules of romantic comedies as it picks up where the others leave off, at the wedding. The criminally overlooked Rose Byrne and equally underrated Rafe Spall star as the newly-wed couple, Nat and Josh, whose complete mismatch becomes painfully apparent as their wedded bliss turns out to be anything but. I can’t heap enough praise onto Byrne and Spall as they do everything in their power to make their characters remotely likable. They are the saving grace of this film, and without their presence I would have been far crueler in my reception. It’s easy to get laughs in comedy, but it’s damn near impossible to do so while giving an earnest and convincing portrayal. This is Byrne’s forte as she cements the film with a persuasive performance and is irresistibly entertaining in what could have been a dull, one-note character. Between Byrne’s performance and Spall’s charm the film starts off strong and holds the promise of being an unconventional romantic comedy. This promise disintegrates as we follow Nat and Josh through their first year of marriage.

As Nat and Josh realize their incompatibility, in comes the disgustingly handsome Simon Baker as Guy, a client of Nat’s, and the always endearing Anna Faris as Chloe, a former girlfriend of Josh. Nat is naturally attracted to Guy, meanwhile Josh stirs up old feelings for Chloe. While I would argue that Anna Faris instantly makes any movie better, and indeed this is probably her best turn since 2007’s Smiley Face, I would have been far more intrigued to see where I Give It A Year could have gone had new romantic interests not been shoehorned in. At this point the film emotionally disengages the audience. There’s nothing to root for anymore, and at the same time Mazer is afraid of making anyone seem like the bad guy. Now if you can get past that? It’s still a damn funny movie. At times it plays like a British sketch show, with little cinematic pacing but instead its punch lines and pratfalls fire in non-stop rapid succession.

I-GIVE-IT-A-YEAR-Rose-Byrne

As the film progresses it feels like its falling victim to the exact same rom-com formula that it sticks its nose up at. From the nice neat little way the conclusion is tied up to scene-stealer Stephen Merchant as the obligatory inappropriate best friend, albeit admittedly Merchant’s ad-libs do provide some of the films biggest laughs. However, where fellow British director Mike Leigh has succeeded in integrating improv seamlessly into a film, Mazer’s directing leaves Merchant’s bits feeling disjointed. It’s these kinds of little hiccups that would have gone unnoticed in a 5-minute Ali G segment, but that stick out like a sore thumb in the context of a feature film.

I-GIVE-IT-A-YEAR-Merchant

Ultimately the film is nowhere near as witty or lofty as it presents itself as being, but by the time it reaches its over the top ending it seems aware of that. Mazer redeems himself here, as he isn’t afraid to poke a little fun at the film. I Give It A Year will make for a great Netflix watch that will entertain and amuse you and then slowly and completely fade from your memory.

(Visited 9 times, 1 visits today)
Festival Review: I Give It a Year (2013)
2.5Overall Score

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Anna FarisDan MazerI Give It A YearNate AbernethyRafe SpallRose ByrneSacha Baron CohenSimon Baker

Baywatch Nights 1.05 “Just a Gigolo”
The Vampire Diaries 4.20 “The Originals”

About The Author

monsterid
Nate Abernethy
Keeper of the Real / Dancing Fool

Nate Abernethy is a magical sprite we captured and forced to do film reviews. He somehow also wound up with a twitter account @NateAbernethy

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK

Daily Top Ten

  • Muppets 101: A Tribute to Caroll SpinneyMuppets 101: A Tribute to Caroll Spinney by Jessica Sowards
  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACKThe PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE… by Laura Akers
  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 6: THE RETURN OF THE JEDIThe PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 6: THE… by John E. Meredith
  • Unnatural Selections: Two-Headed Shark Attack (2012)Unnatural Selections: Two-Headed Shark Attack (2012) by Brooke Brewer
  • Unnatural Selections: Insecticidal (2005)Unnatural Selections: Insecticidal (2005) by Brooke Brewer
  • Shakespeare's Macbeth (2010)Shakespeare’s Macbeth (2010) by Paul Brian McCoy
  • The Americans 4.04 “Chloramphenicol”The Americans 4.04 “Chloramphenicol” by Thom V. Young
  • The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by Dory Hoffman
  • Sick Flix: Guinea Pig - Devil’s Experiment (1985)Sick Flix: Guinea Pig – Devil’s Experiment (1985) by Corin Totin
  • Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985)Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985) by Corin Totin

PDI Press Bestsellers

Weekly Top Ten

  • Muppets 101: A Tribute to Caroll SpinneyMuppets 101: A Tribute to Caroll Spinney by Jessica Sowards
  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPEThe PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPE by Rick Shingler
  • The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by Dory Hoffman
  • Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985)Sick Flix: Guinea Pig 2 – Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985) by Corin Totin
  • Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by Dory Hoffman
  • Lost in Translation 319: When Studios Realize a Major MistakeLost in Translation 319: When Studios Realize a… by Scott Delahunt
  • Sick Flix: Guinea Pig - Devil’s Experiment (1985)Sick Flix: Guinea Pig – Devil’s Experiment (1985) by Corin Totin
  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACKThe PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE… by Laura Akers
  • Shakespeare's Macbeth (2010)Shakespeare’s Macbeth (2010) by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Unnatural Selections: Two-Headed Shark Attack (2012)Unnatural Selections: Two-Headed Shark Attack (2012) by Brooke Brewer

INSTAGRAM

psychodrivein

Psycho Drive-In
Instagram post 17851575235735786 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 6: THE RETURN OF THE JEDI

Fuckin' Return of the Jedi, man. Like the Sea Monkeys of the cinema. ---
Read more of John's article at the link in our profile!

#starwars #starwarsepisodevireturnofthejedi #starwarsepisode6 #returnofthejedi #starwarsholidayspecial #starwarsepisode6returnofthejedi
Instagram post 17868529129555485 Today at http://psychodrivien.com

The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Because while Star Wars had revolutionized movies and movie-making in many ways, Empire reminded us why that mattered, why films mattered. ---
Read more of Laura's article at the link in our profile!

#starwars #starwarsepisodevtheempirestrikesback #theempirestrikesback #empirestrikesback #episodev #episode5 #starwarsepisode5 #starwarsholidayspecial
Instagram post 18117889531027648 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Muppets 101: A Tribute to Caroll Spinney

Caroll Spinney, best known as the performer who brought Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life for nearly 50 years died on Sunday, December 8th 2019.
---
Read more of Jesica's memorial at the link in our profile!

#carollspinney #bigbird #oscarthegrouch #sesamestreet #jimhenson
Instagram post 18085270978141184 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPE

When it comes to Star Wars, I am a gibbering fool. ---
Read more of Rick's article at the link in our profile!

#starwars #starwarsepisodeivanewhope #anewhope #starwarsepisode4 #starwarsanewhope #starwarsholidayspecial
Instagram post 18066887845196274 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 319: When Studios Realize a Major Mistake

A new Sonic the Hedgehog trailer was released earlier this month and it corrected the biggest problem that the movie had.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#lostintranslation #sonic #sonicthehedgehog
Instagram post 17853450166690202 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Knives Out (2019)

Knives Out is an incredibly fun movie to watch fly by for its extended 130-minute running time. ---
Read more of Nate's review at the link in our profile!

#knivesout #rianjohnson #danielcraig #chrisevans #jamieleecurtis #donjohnson #michaelshannon #anadearmas #lakeithstanfield #rikilindhome #tonicollette #christopherplummer
Instagram post 18093127504113756 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 318: Remaking The Crawling Hand

The Crawling Hand begins with a lunar mission going wrong in the worst way possible. ---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#lostintranslation #thecrawlinghand
Instagram post 17851403575711016 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Just How Many Fools Can Truly Be Pitied? An essay.

Then, one fateful day Mr. T vanished from our lives the same way he entered them; mysteriously, and without warning.
---
Read more of James' article at the link in our profile!

#mrt #dispatchesfromthefield #jamesradcliff #ateam #rocky3 #lastmanonearth #iamlegend
Instagram post 18029243452241284 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Drive-In Saturday: The Monster Squad (1987)

The Monster Squad is not a perfect film, but it is a highly underrated classic of the comedy/horror genre. ---
Read more of James' article at the link in our profile!

#driveinsaturday #themonstersquad #jamesradcliff #shaneblack #freddekker #tomnoonan #duncanrhegar
Instagram post 17996762620276384 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 317: Remaking the Raven

Remaking The Raven will require a deft touch and the right cast. Modern technology can make or break the remake. ---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#lostintranslation #theraven #edgarallanpoe #boriskarloff #belalugosi
Instagram post 17984037811285851 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Night Work (2019)

Night Work is a fun, ribald little movie that has its own sense of charm, from its budgetary limitations to the expansive possibilities of its strange world.
---
Read more of Nate's review at the link in our profile!

#nightwork #kylerayburn #valeriegilbert #scottwood #virgilschnell #ohio #indiehorror #indiehorrorfilm
Instagram post 17895959116408221 Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 316: The Expanse - Part 2

The Expanse continues to pull in from other stories in the series to flesh out what’s happening, keeping the storytelling more or less linear, with a few exceptions in shown in flashbacks. ---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#theexpanse #leviathanwakes #jamessacorey #thomasjane #stevenstrait #lostintranslation
Load More... Follow on Instagram

TWITTER

My Tweets

Latest Reviews

  • Knives Out (2019)

    Nate Zoebl
    November 29, 2019
  • Night Work (2019)

    Nate Zoebl
    November 8, 2019
  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) Blu-ray

    Paul Brian McCoy
    November 5, 2019

Latest Columns

  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 6: THE RETURN OF THE JEDI

    John E. Meredith
    December 12, 2019
  • The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 5: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

    Laura Akers
    December 11, 2019
  • Muppets 101: A Tribute to Caroll Spinney

    Jessica Sowards
    December 11, 2019

Look Who's Talking

Shawn EH
Shawn EH - 12/11/2019
The PDI STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – CHAPTER 4: A NEW HOPE
I can't even imagine seeing this by accident in a drive-in! My family and I scrambled for tickets,...
johnhurschelrunion
johnhurschelrunion - 12/8/2019
Dobie Gillis: “I Gotta Kill that Boy!” A Cult Series Makes its Way to DVD
GREAT article. thank you. i am currently revisiting the series on amazon prime. i was first...
Shawn EH
Shawn EH - 12/2/2019
Knives Out (2019)
I kind of wish there was a Blade Runner: 2047, as it had to have been better than 2049, but it was...
Large_rectangle_336X280
RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

Archives

All work on this site is Copyright © each individual writer.
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-L
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
  • Columns P-Z
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
%d bloggers like this: