The Five-Year Engagement

Lots of romantic comedies end with a wedding, and this film is no exception. However in this film the couple are firmly in love when the film starts.
I feel that my taste in films is evolving. I am a huge fan of romantic comedies but the ones I like are   becoming few and far between. I prefer stories that are a bit more unconventional where the happy ending may not happen. This film had the promise of a different type of story with a couple who were already in love and having to delay a wedding. But in true Judd Apatow fashion it was ruined. There is a rule I feel film makers need to adhere to which is that comedies in general should run for about 90-100 minutes or less. I will admit there are some which work at a longer run time but they are very rare. While Judd was only a producer on this film, most of the films he is involved with are always far too long. Usually by 20-30 minutes, and this film is no exception. Most of the time I can handle that longer time but with this film it became a really big problem. I found it to be incredibly boring. As I said the premise is interesting but it is not done in an interesting way. I'm going to reveal some spoilers to the plot so be warned. So Tom and Violet cannot get married because she gets a job in a different state. Now to me I don't see that as being a big enough reason to delay a wedding. I understand that they are away from family and friends but one thing that was not explored was why the couple could not have a quick  or smaller wedding. Could the families not have traveled. These issues are not addressed and therefore mean the films main issue looses credibility for me. I also did not find the film very funny. There were only a small amount of funny moments and they only raised a smile and no great big laughs.
Despite a lack of laughs and plot holes the cast do a pretty good job. Jason Segel makes a nice goofy character in all his films and does his usually good job here. Emily Blunt is her delightful self as always. Chris Platt makes an excellent romantic comedy best friend. As usual he is the best thing in the film and outshines the leads. Alison Brie is good as Violets sister. I'm pleased to see that Aussie Jackie Weaver's Oscar nomination is starting to pay off and she has chosen a role far removed from 'Animal Kingdom'. I am also a fan of Mimi Kennedy and love her here.
My standards for a romantic comedy have risen so I might be a bit too harsh on this film. Despite that it is still a very boring film with very few laughs.