Since her scene stealing performance in The 40 Year Old Virgin as Paul Rudd’s horny boss, Jane Lynch has become a comedy “It” Girl. She steals every scene she’s in as angry cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on Glee. However, direct to DVD films can be an unreliable thing. The SNL alumni comedy Spring Breakdown was a perfect vehicle for Lynch, and was a surprisingly good movie. However, I Do & I Don’t is on the other side of the direct to DVD spectrum. How Jane Lynch got to be involved in this turd is beyond me.
Bob and Cheryl (Bryan Callen and Alexie Gilmore) are an engaged couple who are told that they need pre-marital counseling before they are allowed to be wed in the church. Their priest recommends another married couple to provide this service. When Bob and Cheryl arrive for their first session, they find their mentors are not what they expected. Dick (Matt Servitto) and Nora (Jane Lynch) have problems of their own. Namely, Dick makes inappropriate comments and jokes, and Nora is a drunk who is constantly trying to have sex with Bob.
Sound good? It’s not. Dick’s inappropriate comments are obviously placed in the script for shock value, but they’re just awkward. Some of them include talking about his drippy penis (semen not pee, for those interested), and he makes comments about Bob’s mother’s crunch berry nipples. Oh and once a week, his doctor milks his prostate. And he enjoys it so much that he goes back more often than needed. TMI? Yep, I thought so too.
Bob and Cheryl, who are supposed to be our lovey dovey engaged couple, bicker constantly and have zero chemistry. It is revealed that Bob has been married before, divorced because they “ran out of blow,” and has had homosexual encounters. Cheryl doesn’t seem to care about him at all, but who would? There’s actually one scene where Bob and Cheryl are in the shower together, about to have a sweet moment, and then Bob says he’s peeing on Cheryl’s feet. Sexy.
Jane Lynch couldn’t even save this awful, awful film. Her character is very much her style, and she actually provides most of the humor in the film. But with the terrible acting and lewd jokes surrounding her, there’s no room for her standard shock value lines and character quirks.
Somehow I Do & I Don’t won the Jury Award for Best Comedy, and Jane Lynch won Best Actress at the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival. Perhaps it was the only comedy in contention? Jane Lynch is worthy though, but this film has some of the worst acting, worst music (porno-style, all the way), and worst use of voice-over that I’ve ever seen in a film. Jane Lynch’s current It Girl status doesn’t even make this worth a watch. I Do & I Don’t? Just Don’t.
The film is presented in a 1.77:1 aspect ratio. The visual and audio quality are both mediocre.
Deleted Scenes – These are mostly ridiculous, but there is one with Dick & Nora singing a religious folk song that is actually pretty creepy/funny. (5:18)
Interview – with Judd Apatow and Christopher Guest congratulating Jane Lynch for her Career Achievement Award from FLIFF – Wow. Judd Apatow, one of the most popular names in comedy right now, and Christopher Guest, one of the most popular names in comedy in history, are on an extra feature on THIS MOVIE??? Yes, it’s true. Apatow tells a pretty funny story about Lynch from The 40 Year Old Virgin. This is worth watching, the movie is not. (2:38)
Trailer
Trailers – Finding Bliss, Good Intentions, Adopted (with Pauly Shore – I must see this film!)
According to imdb, I Do & I Don’t was completed in 2007. I’m sure it was stuck for 3 years because it could get no distributor. There are independent films that are better than this. I Do & I Don’t is a failure all around. I really thought that Valentine’s Day or The Wolfman would be my worst movie of the year, but I think they have both been beaten.
Phase 4 Productions presents I Do & I Don’t. Directed by: Steve Blair. Starring: Jane Lynch, Bryan Callen, Alexie Gilmore, Matt Servitto. Written by: Steve Blair. Running time: 83 minutes. Rating: R. Released on DVD: July 20, 2010.
