I Think I Love My Wife [DVD] [2007] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
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I Think I Love My Wife [DVD] [2007] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
3 thoughts on “I Think I Love My Wife [DVD] [2007] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]”
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[3.5]–Insightful honesty to the married man’s dilemma,
Well, Chris Rock and Eric Rohmer, together at last. Wait a minute, Rock and Rohmer? If the combination sounds strange to you, “I Think I Love My Wife” doesn’t disagree. French New Wave director Rohmer defined his career making movies about conflicted, morally shaky men, and it’s interesting to report that Chris Rock has managed to maintain some of the integrity of his film. Co-writing (with Louis C.K.) and directing “Wife,” Rock is looking for a break from the broad comedies he’s normally associated with, including his last directorial effort, the amusing 2003 political lampoon, Head of State (Widescreen Edition) This, the second film that Rock has directed, registers as a bigger squandering of his talent than all of the prior Bad Company (2002) (Ws), Dogma (Special Edition), and Madagascar (Widescreen Edition) combined.
“I Think I Love My Wife” tells the story of Richard Cooper (Rock), his wife Brenda (Gina Torres) and the other woman, Nikki Tru (Kerri Washington), who starts showing up at Richard’s Wall Street office in clothes more suitable for a nightclub. We know right off the bat that Richard and Brenda, who enjoy a comfortable lifestyle with their two children in a New York City suburb, are not having sex anymore because Brenda is tired and disinterested. And we know that because Richard is bored and frustrated in his relationship. So, once hot Nikki enters the picture, we know that the plot will revolve around Richard. Will he or won’t he (become another philandering husband)? This main point of the plot is one that may be viewed differently by men and women. The subtexts of the plot include, for me, the higher incidence of divorce in the Black community, the now-famous 42.4 percent of Black women who do not marry, whether single women respect the marriages of other women, many new narratives that make sex the central point and tool in relationships, and factors that make a man (or woman) leave their spouse and children. Others may think that Brenda needs to get with the program or definitely lose her husband, and that Richard is well within his rights to seek intimacy elsewhere since it is not provided at home.
This is obviously a lot of social context for a romantic comedy but Rock carries it off well, with stinging jokes, including ones about male fantasies, the sizes of women’s panties and Viagra. The story is primarily told from Richard’s male perspective, though, so we empathize most with him and see the women in his life through his eyes. We don’t really get to know Brenda or Nikki for that matter, in the way that we get to know, for example, Renée Zellweger’s character in Jerry MaguireWe don’t hear Brenda’s side of the story. She just seems wrong and probably playing herself.
Unlike Rohmer, Rock is more interested in a happier ending of sorts, but leaves the relationships in a semi-unfinished state. Had the film contained more layering up to this point, it wouldn’t feel as blindsiding as it actually does. Rock sets up “I Think I Love My Wife” as something much more dangerous and insightful than it ends up being, and he seems unwilling to settle on a tone that would allow the film a chance to relax and gel in its own way. Despite its missing pieces, “I Think I Love My Wife” is an enjoyable, human flick. It reminds us that, as adults, our decisions are ours alone, and that we can’t blame anyone–even our spouses or the spouses of other people–for what we decide to do with our lives.
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|More serious than at first sight,
I thought this would be a romantic comedy, I watched it by accident on cable while in the USA. Well, although Chris Rock narrating the story and making comments makes you smile on many occasions, it is quite a serious film about mid-life crisis. I totally loved it, it is real and what happens in the film (in a dramatised way!) sort of happened to me. At least it gives you enough to think about marriage and the values around it. Strongly recommended if you haven’t had a mid-life crisis yet.
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|Really good movie,
Funny moments with Chris Rock narrating that which forms his loveless and sexless marriage. Not his best- but still worth a watch. Especially the ending.
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