Second Viewing is a series here at The Nerds Templar where we discuss a movie we’ve seen before and then watch again for a second time. Maybe we saw it at the theater and then catch it again on home video or streaming services or maybe it’s a film we watched years ago and view again today to see how it holds up.
What We Thought:
The Five-Year Engagement came out in 2012 and I remember enjoying it back then. Jason Segel was pretty big at that time with hits like I Love You, Man and Forgetting Sarah Marshall and How I Met Your Mother still had a few seasons left to air. Emily Blunt may not have been the name she is now, but her resume was solid. Alison Brie was winning our hearts in Community and Mad Men. And Chris Pratt, well you gotta remember, Pratt at this time was still the kinda chubby, funny side kick guy from Parks and Recreation, not the chiseled leading man of Jurassic World and the MCU. Despite the decent cast, the film didn’t really find an audience and it’s a shame because it’s a genuinely funny romantic comedy.
If you’re not familiar with the movie, Segel plays a chef in San Francisco who meets Blunt on New Year’s Eve. They quickly fall in love and a year later get engaged. Pratt is Segel’s friend/co-worker at a restaurant and Brie is Blunt’s sister who ends up pregnant and marrying Pratt before Segel and Blunt have their chance. Blunt takes a gig at the University of Michigan and Segel moves there with her taking a job at a sandwich shop. Ups and downs postpone their wedding time and again and you aren’t quite sure if they will end up married or not.
I actually hadn’t seen the film since seeing it at the theater despite buying it on Blu-ray at a thrift store in Atlanta 3 years ago. It’s sat in that towering pile of movies you say you’ll get to and with most of us having way more free time than normal because of the situation in the world, I finally popped it into the Blu-ray player. Not only does it still hold up, but because it had been eight years since I first saw it, it was like watching it for the first time. I only remembered one big comedic part (Blunt’s character getting shot in the leg by a crossbow), but all the other jokes landed big like the first time. I found it just as enjoyable the second time as I did the first.
I also didn’t remember half of the people who are in it beyond the four major roles. Blunt’s character has 3 co-workers/friends at Michigan you might be familiar with now. Of the three then, Mindy Kaling was probably the biggest name from her time on The Office. Randall Park has certainly made a name for himself since then and the third guy, you might know him, Kevin Hart. Yeah the biggest (pun intended) comedic actor today has a supporting role in this. Brian Posehn, Chris Parnell, pre-Fifty Shades of Grey Dakota Johnson all have roles I totally forgot about too.
The Five-Year Engagement should be a movie you’re completely tired of by now. It should have been played constantly on FXX or one of those TV channels that overplays movies. You’re probably dumbfounded you may not have seen a flick with Chris Pratt, Kevin Hart and Emily Blunt and like I previously said, it’s a shame. I laughed out loud multiple times rewatching the film. Segel is every bit as good in this as he was in other films that made a lot more money. Blunt is simply charming and Alison Brie can always make me laugh. Then there is Pratt. I’ll be honest, I do miss chubby Chris who sings and makes a goof out of himself. But I understand that abs get you Star-Lord and playing with dinosaurs. The movie is one of those rom-coms that even as a single, straight dude, I can happily say I thoroughly enjoy. It’s not pandering. It’s not geared towards anyone specifically like most films in the genre. It’s a believable story with a great cast, lots of laughs and good music. I should have watched it again years ago.
The Nerds Templar 