I Do... Until I Don't

It seems like many of the bad reviews were based on the first half of the film and maybe those folks, expecting a romantic comedy, gave up. It's not the greatest film but much better than the bad reviews. There are some funny parts and some hilarious. In the end it's sweet and that in it self my be a spoiler.

The ending is a little iffy, but the key to liking it seems to be connecting  to the couples in the movie. Movie itself is about a woman doing a documentary that will confirm her theory that marriage is a sham. She interviews three couples: Lake Bell plays a woman whose so into the documentary filmmaker that she lies about how unhappy she is with her husband (played by Ed Helms who I really like in this one) to get into the documentary. Her sister (played by Amber Heard) also gets selected for the documentary because of her open relationship with the father of her child and the last relationship, which is my favorite of the bunch. A seasoned coupled played by Paul Riser and Mary Steenburgen who just entered a rough patch in their relationship. It's not as confrontational as you would expect about a comedy about couples having troubles with their relationship would be , but it does express the anxiety that comes with being in a committed relationship for a long time, and it does a nice job of that. Very enjoyable for my taste.

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There's a good cast and some humorous and poignant moments here, but the movie never seems to gel into an enjoyable or entertaining film. A lot of the dialogue and crude humor also seems to fall flat and I could not emotionally connect to the ensemble characters.

Dolly Wells is strong in her role of Vivian Prudeck, a conniving British documentary filmmaker trying to interview 3 couples that she hopes will eventually prove her theory that marriage as we know it is archaic, and that it should be a 7 year contract with an option to renew. Prudeck's interplay with her deadpan assistant Mel (Connie Shin) can be darkly funny at times.

Overall, despite some top shelf names in the cast here, the script by Lake Bell, who also directs and stars in the movie, just doesn't consistently work , in my opinion, and therefore this one was a disappointment to me.

"I Do... Until I Don't" (2017 release; 103 min.) brings the story of a British woman doing a documentary about the state of marriage. As the movie opens, Vivian, the British woman, is giving a presentation to a group of people in Vero Beach, FL. Vivian wonders if there is support to making marriage a 7 year deal with a renewal option. Meanwhile we get to know several married couples: there is Alice and Noah, who sell blinds for interior decorating, are low on money and trying to conceive. Vivian's sister Fanny and her husband are "free thinkers" (read: hippies) who supposedly have an open marriage. And then there is Cybil and Harvey, an older couple whose marriage has seen better times. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the second feature length movie (after the excellent "In a World" a few years ago) that is written, produced and directed by Lake Bell (in addition to starring in the lead role, here as Alice). This basic premise is potentially interesting but alas, the movie gets stuck in certain patterns that are utterly predictable and not even interesting. It's a darn shame, as certainly the performers try their best: Ed Helms plays Bell's husband, but the show is for me almost stolen by the delightful Mary Steenburgen (as Cybil), an all too rare sighting of this great actress. Paul Reiser portrays her husband. This movie is billed as a comedy, and while there certainly are some moments that I chuckled, there isn't anything remotely crazy funny in the movie. In fact, the movie is more rom-com than just comedy. In the end, this movie feels like a missed opportunity: so much talent on the screen! I absolutely love Lake Bell, and I really wanted to like this, but in the end I just couldn't.

"I Do... Until I Don't" is now in its second week at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great (7 people, including myself). Given the so-so critical buzz and correlating word-of-mouth, I can't see this playing in theaters very long. This movie really is for Lake Bell fans, and even there, better see this with lowered expectations.

To put it simply I enjoyed the movie. The storyline might not have been intense, meaningful, or compelling but it was enjoyable to watch the couples learn something about themselves that one person in this case, was trying to exploit for their own benefit and celebrity.

Life can be funny at times if you are willing to see the humor in it. Worth the watch if you have the time.