Jan Wahl Movie Review: 'Natural Selection' & 'The Five Year Engagement'
You can hear KCBS Entertainment Editor Jan Wahl's movie reviews on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM Fridays at 8:53am & 4:53pm.
(CBS SF) – KCBS Entertainment Editor Jan Wahl reviews "The Five Year Engagement," starring Jason Segal and Emily Blunt, about the elongated journey that an engaged couple endures.
THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT (R)
The cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Palace of Fine Arts - we see many iconic images of San Francisco. There's also a ridiculous amount of easy parking so it must be a movie.
In this romantic comedy, The Five Year Engagement (R), co-writer and star Jason Segel (The Muppets), Producer Judd Apatow (Bridesmaids) and co writer/director Nick Stoller (Get Him to the Greek) collaborate with the tale of two people in love. Segel and Emily Blunt are two of our likeable young stars, he is an up and coming chef and she is a social psychologist. But when her postdoctoral work takes them to Michigan, everything changes. While we get the quirky side characters, well played by Chris Pratt and Allison Brie, what makes it all work is the two leads, investing us into the complications and challenges of their life together.
Two and a half hats for this pretty good RomCom and special hats off for Emily Blunt, who is deserving of her popularity as one of our most interesting actresses. There's fire and intelligence behind those eyes: see her now in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and on DVD with Young Victoria, and especially Sunshine Cleaning, costarring Alan Arkin and the terrific Amy Adams.
NATURAL SELECTION (R)
Filmmaker Robbie Pickering has made a heartfelt, reality based movie with satiric overtones, obviously a project that came from personal experiences and real people.
We meet a couple who have a clear religious fervor, but are having problems with their relationship. Rachel Harris and Matt O' Leary star but it is really her film since she takes a road journey to find her dead husband's son. This is unusual, offbeat and smart, made in tribute to the filmmaker's own mother. Three hats.
Coming Up Next Week: Emily Blunt costarred with Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels in 2010. Jack Black is far better - pitch perfect in fact - in next week's Bernie, costarring Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine. Also coming up: The Avengers.
See Right Now: Natural Selection, Monsieur Lazhar, Marley, Chimpanzee, Bully, The Lady, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, A Separation, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen."
Home Viewing/DVD: Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol, The Iron Lady, War Horse, We Bought a Zoo.
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