I Think I Love My Wife – DVD Review

Film, Reviews


Available at Amazon.com

Director:

Chris Rock

Starring:

Chris Rock ………. Richard Cooper
Kerry Washington ………. Nikki Tru
Gina Torres ………. Brenda Cooper
Steve Buscemi ………. George
Edward Herrmann ………. Mr. Landis

The Movie

Chris Rock has often been called this generation’s version of Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy. While Rock has often shied away from those comparisons as far as his standup material is concerned, it’s not hard to see that Rock’s starring movie roles have often resembled Richard Pryor’s work more than Eddie Murphy’s work. That’s not necessarily a good thing, since Pryor is simply known now as an extremely funny comedian whereas Murphy has now made a name for himself as a legitimate and great actor. Chris Rock tries to do it all in his latest movie, I Think I Love My Wife, in an attempt transform himself from a great comedian into a legitimate actor.

The film is a remake of the 1972 French film Love in the Afternoon by Éric Rohmer. Rock does quadruple duty as writer, producer, director and star. His character in the movie is Richard Cooper, a happily married man who is both professionally successful and also seems to be perfectly content with his home life that includes his wife Brenda (Gina Torres), and their two young children. While his life great, he is extremely bored. He and his wife never have sex anymore, which is a constant theme in the story. This causes him to be rather sex starved. During those dull days at the office, he occasionally fantasizes about other women but never acts upon the rather harmless impulses. However, an encounter with an old, and very beautiful, friend of his (Kerry Washington) suddenly casts doubt over his typically resilient self-control.

The cast is relatively small, but a large ensemble is not needed since the focus is on the awkward love triangle between Richard, Brenda and Nikki. Despite Chris Rock’s writing and directing acumen, there is equal time given for all three of the main characters. For the most part, no one plays the villain in this triangle. You can find good in all of the characters, which is odd since one person can usually be perceived as the one to blame in a love triangle dealing with marriage and adultery. That’s not the cast here, though, which goes back to the writing done by Rock and fellow comedian, Louis C.K. Steve Buscemi also has a strong supporting part as Richard’s odd “voice of reason.”

While the cast and the story are both strong, the main weakness for this film is that it walks the line between being a comedy and a drama and doesn’t know which side it wants to end up on. This is a completely different role for Chris Rock to play and this movie is like nothing you have seen from him before. While the movie does start out being a big-screen version of his comedy routine, it doesn’t stay that way. In fact, the comedy often fails in the latter scenes since the same jokes used over and over again in “romantic comedies” get used again here. On one hand, this allows Rock to develop his skills as a dramatic actor, but on the other, there are fewer things to laugh at in the movie. That’s a hard line to walk, and in the end Chris just stumbles back and forth, which prevents this film from going to another level.

When a comedian tries to do something completely different than what they are known for, it’s often very polarizing. Some fans will applaud the comedian for trying something new, others will trash it for not being what they have come to expect from the comedian. I Think I Love My Wife is such a film. Chris Rock does make a good half-step forward in becoming a legitimate actor like Eddie Murphy. It wasn’t a complete solid step, though, as most of the comedy that Rock is known for was lost in translation from script to film. Whether you’re a Chris Rock fan or not, this is still an entertaining film for those with an open mind. Rock has the potential to do much more in the future.

The Video:

The video is given in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen color, which is enhanced for 16:9 TVs. The video is pretty good and comparable to other new release DVDs. No major problems here.

The Audio:

The audio included is available in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English and Spanish as well. No problems real problems here either. The music and dialogue come out loud and clear.

The Extras:

Audio Commentary
There is an audio commentary with Chris Rock during the movie. He is funny as usual, but since he wrote and directed this film, this commentary is equally insightful and very good. Check this out for sure during a second viewing of I Think I Love My Wife.

“I Do Love Making This Movie” Featurette
The basic behind-the-scenes featurette for this movie. It’s 10 minutes long and it quickly tells you more about the film. Chris Rock is the main sound bite here, but since he does everything but the catering on this project it shouldn’t surprise you. We do get a few thoughts about the movie from other people, though. The feature, while short, makes for a good combination with the audio commentary.

Deleted Scenes
Lots of comedic bits were left on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, you can see them on the DVD. Honestly, they probably did mess with the overall flow of the movie, but still there is some funny clips to watch.

Bloopers
As usual, more funny stuff. They are not really bloopers, though. They are more like alternate takes to lines that Rock made up while filming and didn’t get used for the movie.

FOX Movie Channel Presents: Casting Sessions
This is a 10 minute show that aired on the FOX Movie Channel talking about the film. We get interviews with Chris Rock and others about I Think I Love My Wife. Pretty interesting, but you can probably find the same information from previous extras.

THE INSIDE PULSE

I recommend a rental whether you are a Chris Rock fan or not. Some will like it, while others won’t, but it’s at least worth a look. Just don’t expect your typical Chris Rock movie or antics.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for I Think I Love My Wife
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

7
THE VIDEO

8
THE AUDIO

8
THE EXTRAS

6
REPLAY VALUE

6
OVERALL
6.5
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

I'm not embarrassed to say that my favorite television show of all-time is The O.C. I live by the motto "you can't fight fate!" More importantly, I watch WAY too much television, but I do so for the benefit of everyone reading this now. So to my mom and my wife, I say thanks for reading! To everyone else that might stumble across this, remember TiVo should be your best friend!