Director: Lake Bell
Writer: Lake Bell (Screenplay)
Starring: Lake Bell, Ed Helms, Mary Steenburgen, Paul Reiser, Amber Heard, Wyatt Cenac, Dolly Wells
Plot: An ensemble comedy about the meaning of matrimony.
Tagline – Happily Ever After Is a Lot to Ask
Runtime: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Basic Relationship Comedy
Story: I Do… Until I Don’t starts as we meet Vivian (Wells) who is trying to make a documentary about relationship believing people should have the option to opt out of a marriage after seven years, she needs couples to make this, which leads us to follow Alic (Bell) and Noah (Helms) who are trying for their first child, Cybil (Steenburgen) and Harvey (Reiser) that has been together for 30 plus years and Fanny (Heard) and Zander (Cenac) who have children and an open relationship.
As the documentary comes together we get to see the problems the couple are going through in everyday life and how they look to overcome them or whether these problems could be the end of their relationships.
Thoughts on I Do… Until I Don’t
Characters – Alice is at the stage of her marriage where she is thinking about children, while balancing the regrets of not following through with her life’s dreams, she is asking herself the big questions, while dealing with the sister that has a child, while still living the wild way. Noah is Alice’s husband who has been struggling to keep the family business together, while trying to support his wife in preparing to plan for a baby. Cybil is part of the older couple that has been waiting for the spark to come back to her life, with this documentary giving her new visions on life. Harvey has been going through the mid-life crisis with Cybil, getting a motorbike and trying new things outside the normal.
Performances – Lake Bell does take the role as one of the couples, while also handling writing and directing duties, she does fit her role well, which is going to go for most of the cast here. Ed Helms is never let off his leash like you would like to see from him. Mary Steenburgen gives us the performance we have seen her make her own in this type of role, with Paul Reiser rounding off the main cast. One of the biggest problems with the performances is that we just don’t let the cast get long enough to shine.
Story – The story here follows three different couples at different stages of their relationships, each being documented by a filmmaker, we see the ups and downs the couples go through along with the connections to each other’s lives. The idea of following couples isn’t the most original, but this story doesn’t break the strongest parts of this idea either. The way to stories connect is clever as we see how each person first gets to interact with each other. The story is one of the most average one you will see though, we can pick out where things will be going without them looking out of place.
Comedy – The comedy isn’t too heavy, it does have its moments which will get a laugh or two through the film.
Settings – The film takes us to the everyday locations of the couple without making them feel iconic, though they do feel lived in locations.
Scene of the Movie – The final scene.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The couples are too everyday.
Final Thoughts – This is a relationship comedy that does get a laugh or two, but ends up feeling too serious to be enjoyable enough.
Overall: Relationship film 101.
Rating
