The Five Year Engagement (2012)

What's It About? Tom (Jason Segel) and Violet (Emily Blunt) have been together for a year, living in sunny San Francisco, when Tom proposes on New Years Eve. They start planning their wedding, when suddenly Violet is offered a job as a University lecturer in snow-bound Michigan. They move there and put wedding plans on hold for a little while. As Violet's career takes off and Tom struggles to find meaningful work, cracks start to show and they wonder if they will ever make it down the aisle.

*****

What's It Like? Sal and I saw this film during a weekend away and it was just what the doctor ordered - funny and sweet, realistic but heart-felt. It comes from producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-year Old Virgin, Bridesmaids etc), which is not necessarily a guarantee of quality, or an assurance that everyone will like it, but we did. The sequences where their relationship starts to feel the strain are affectingly realistic and thanks to the casting of such a likeable duo, even when they respectively act like boneheads, we still pull for them, like them and want to see them work it out.
At a fraction over 2 hours, the running time is a little too long for a romantic comedy, but it never drags too badly, benefiting from supporting actors who keep our attention and keep the chuckles coming. Although it has some highly amusing sequences, it is refreshingly free of gross-out humour or unpleasantness, relying instead on genuine laughs from relatable and funny scenarios.
There are a few cheats along the way. The characters that serve as the respective temptations and distractions for Tom and Violet are written and played so as to never be able to be legitimate competition, which drains a little bit of dramatic tension, but then it could be argued that the outcome is obvious and something for which everyone is rooting anyway, so what's the harm? Throw in a couple of Sesame Street character impersonations and one of the wildest "man of the wilderness" beards seen in many a year and you've got a great night out (or in).

*****

Should I See It? It has a well-earned 15 certificate from a combination of frequent strong language and regular sex scenes, as well as quite a lot of sexually-themed dialogue. For teenagers, it might represent an unhelpful dose of content and subject-matter that will not help them much in their current or future relationships. Having said that, the question begs is this sort of thematic content helpful for any of us? It is easy to say, "well, I'm married, so sexual content in films isn't a problem anymore". That is of course simplistic and dangerous. In the end, let your own conscience guide you. If you suspect this sort of content will cause you to stumble, or if it just isn't your thing, if the language will annoy you and prevent you enjoying the film, just stay away. If your teenage children want to see it, try to make it a family trip. If they don't fancy that idea, at least try to make a point afterwards of talking the film through with them - see what they thought of it and whether the point of view it puts across grates with them. As always, try to engage with films and your family and friends, rather than letting these opportunities pass you by. The film has much to say about relationships, co-habiting, faithfulness, predatory men and women, marriage, a sense of purpose in life, careers. Lots to think about.

The Avengers (2012)

What's It About? Uniting a veritable bounty of Marvel's cherished characters, we see Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury join forces to prevent Earth becoming enslaved to Loki, Thor's vengeful brother.

*****

What's It Like? This is comic-book film-making on an epic and virtually peerless scale. Whereas some properties have "gone dark" (see Nolan's Batman films), this manages a seemingly impossible task of balancing half a dozen big characters, giving them each their moment to shine and still presenting a genuine threat in a light-hearted but never flippant or trite manner. It could easily have become bloated, weighed down by the need to cover so many characters and give them a reason to join forces, but the excellent, intelligent, funny and accessible script moves through the gears quickly, establishing each character with economy without feeling rushed.
Although Iron Man is the most obviously charismatic character and has had the most successful films out of this bunch, Robert Downey Jr never tries to steal the show, enjoying his moments in the sun without embarking on an ego trip to dominate every scene. Instead, it falls to the more measured Mark Ruffalo, or more to the point his alter-ego Hulk to run away with virtually every scene he is in. Hulk's fight with Thor and his encounter with Loki are particular highlights, though the early square (triangle?) off between Captain America, Thor and Iron Man manages to be thrilling, funny and serious all at the same time - there are stakes here, not just witty quips to make us laugh.
In Loki and his assembled minions we have a menacing villain, one who is able to convince as a match for such an abundance of super-powered heroes and although the rules of franchises dictate that we suspect we know who is going to make it to the closing credits, the film isn't afraid to show occasional ruthlessness. The first big blockbuster of the summer has set the bar exceedingly high and it is doubtful that Prometheus, Spider-man and Batman will find it easy to measure up.

Should I See It? Yes, you really should. It won't be to everyone's tastes but I've yet to speak to anyone who didn't like it. It is refreshingly free of any coarse language, even though the film's 12A certificate would enable it to get away with a certain amount. There is no sexual content and although there is plenty of violence, it is for the most part bloodless, with the indestructible Hulk, the armoured Iron Man and the Norse god Thor taking the sternest beatings. I would not have any reservations about taking my 6 year old son to see it, if that is any help.