Critic Reviews

The funny stuff outweighs the cock-ups, and supporting performances from Stephen Merchant and Minnie Driver kick the movie toward something grander.

I Give It a Year has all the outrageous, embarrassment-based moments you’d expect from one of the creators of “Borat.” Indeed this film has one of the best charades gags ever. But there’s plenty of sweetness and charm, too. You root for both bride and groom, and cheer when they finally say, “I don’t.”

The beats and trappings are all standard-issue, but the gags are funny enough, often enough, to offset such routine proceedings.

That Mazer succeeds in playing this for laughs — however sporadic — rather than as a kitchen-sink downer is an achievement in itself.

As pure comedy, it’s a hoot.

A smart farce that would make Hugh Grant and his fans proud.

An above-average number of laugh-out-loud set pieces compensate for the resulting wobbly narrative.

If the emotional mathematics don’t quite add up, enough diversion is provided by pic’s broader comic setpieces to paper over the cracks.

Though Mazer’s ambition is laudable, he has not yet integrated the comedy of manners into the comedy of no manners.

The result is funny and plausible, with a fair bit of newly modish Bridesmaidsy bad taste, though I kept getting the sense that the romcom template meant Mazer couldn't really let rip with pure comedy pessimism and cynicism in the way he might have liked.