Following the screening of , I received a call from my brother who asked what I thought about the flick. My response: "I think I liked the movie." When first announced he'd be returning to the director's chair for a remake of the 1972 French film , it kind of felt like your friend -- the one who parties hard, sleeps around and lives life on the edge -- all of a sudden decided to settle down, have a family and get married .
.. in the span of one day.
It was an odd choice of material for the edgy comedian and former SNL star; the guy we're supposed to blame for 2003's Head of State. But, what at first appeared to be a train wreck waiting to happen, actually turned out to be more like a mild collision -- an accident that could've been averted had Rock spent more time fine-tuning his script and less time pretending to capture the essence of French filmmaking.
Richard Cooper (Rock) seemingly has it all; he's married to a beautiful woman ( ), has two adorable little children, a nice house in the suburbs of Westchester and a cozy high-paying job as an investment banker.
Except, there's one problem -- he's "f**king bored!" For reasons that aren't really explained, Richard and his wife are not having sex. The excitement, the passion and the love has disappeared from the marriage, forcing them both to seek help from a marriage councilor and leaving poor Richard with nothing but his over-active imagination and a voice-over to tell us just how attracted he is to every girl that walks by.
Conflict arises when Nikki ( ), an old crush, shows up at Richard's office -- dressed to resemble your most memorable wet dream -- looking for a job and a whole lot more.
Nikki is the ex-girlfriend of one of Richard's friends; the two hung out back when clubbing until the wee hours of the morning was an everyday norm. However, while Richard has grown up, landed a good job and spends most nights curled up in front of the television, Nikki is still out partying, unable to settle down and create a bit more structure for her life.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why she looks up Richard, visits him at the office and proceeds to call or stop by on a daily basis (in one scantily clad outfit after another, mind you.) She sees how grounded he is, and wants a taste. She sees how unavailable he is, and desires the challenge.
She's every wife's worst nightmare, and loves every minute of it.
An expert in the art of seducing men, Nikki begins working Richard like the kind of puzzle she's solved a hundred times. But Richard is conflicted: on one hand, he can stay faithful to his wife and enjoy the sex he's not having, or he can shack up with the one girl he could never have, while enjoying her free spirit and desperate need to have fun all the time.
As one office visit turns into several lunches, non-stop phone calls and a spur-of-the-moment trip to Washington, D.C., Richard's co-workers (especially his two secretaries) begin to show their disapproval.
His good pal (and fellow co-worker) George ( ) feels Nikki is too much of a distraction, and that Richard is way over his head. Some guys, like George, can cheat on their wives with several different women, but not let it affect themselves or their marriages. Others, like Richard, can't help but let emotions consume them -- ultimately jeopardizing their jobs, their families and the rest of their lives.
The plot sounds a lot deeper and darker than it really is. At best, I Think I Love My Wife is just another Chris Rock comedy that just so happens to share a similar story (and not much else) with an older (and much more dramatic) film; in this case, it's Eric Rohmer's Chloe in the Afternoon. This isn't a remake, this is Chris Rock saying "Hey, I have a bunch of jokes about marriage -- how about we make a movie about them and use this Chloe in the Afternoon flick to fill in the gaps.
" (Unfortunately, you can't use a French film to fill in plot holes -- c'mon, the French thrive on plot holes! It's what they do best.) That said, Rock also happens to be a very funny comedian, and I Think I Love My Wife is truly his first attempt at incorporating some of his best jokes into a feature film.
While it often feels like one long stand-up routine, Rock sprinkles his film with a few touches of pure human emotion; the kind every married couple can relate to. With the exception of one Farrelly Bros.-esque set piece (which will forever be known as "The Viagra Scene"), the comedy is simple, familiar and definitely packs a punch.
Funnily enough, the biggest problem with Rock's film is Rock himself -- his direction, writing and acting all need work. Though he's appeared in almost twenty films, the man still hasn't learned the difference between delivering a line on stage and on screen. Thus, we don't see a troubled investment banker battling his conscious, trying to decide between the woman of his dreams and the woman in his life.
All we see is Chris Rock doing more shtick .. except this time he looks a little like Eddie Murphy with glasses.
Fortunately, Kerry Washington and Gina Torres help lift the film to an enjoyable level, though both woman could've benefited from a more fleshed-out script. Washington continues to impress with each role she takes on; from a strung-out prostitute in The Dead Girl to wife of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, it's literally impossible to take your eyes off this rising star. And Torres (known mainly for her TV work) adds strength to a role that was terribly under-written.
It's ironic that a lot of Rock's comedy revolves around woman and relationships, yet when it comes to writing a screenplay about both -- with source material to work off of -- he (and co-writer Louis C.K.) can't live up to the challenge.
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