Customer Reviews

Ira & Abby

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pretty far into this film I was thinking, "wow, this is a great movie!" and planning on giving it 5 stars. Unfotunately, instead of just focussing on the main couple, the last third or so really drags by bringing in in-laws, exes, blah blah, just too much. There are several weddings in the movie and I would have ended it at the second (not to give anything away).
But I'm still going to give it 4 stars for originality, a GREAT cast, being overall entertaining, and being smarter than the average romantic comedy.

My new favorite movie. I've always been a sucker for a decent romantic comedy (honestly what 20-something woman isnt?) but this one has definitely moved to the top of my list. Ira and Abby are both lovable characters and their relationship (even with its ups and downs) is the kind we all want to have. Highly recommended to people who like romantic comedies (Sleepless in Seattle, My Best Friend's Wedding, etc) and fans of realistic comedy like Woody Allen, Seinfeld, and so on.

Ira and Abbey started off promising. It's funny and well written with a decent main actor in Chris Messina who was featured in a few episodes of Six Feet Under. And the supporting cast is really impressive--Jason Alexander, Fred Willard, and Frances Conroy, also of Six Feet Under (Six Feet Under - The Complete Series Gift Set

For most people, it's like an updated version of When Harry Met Sally.... A neurotic Jewish guy and an extremely nice white girl struggle with love. This time, however, the couple jumps immediately--and I do mean immediately--into marriage. Then the trouble begins.

The movie tells us that what we may view as a perfect marriage is really a sham of lies and false impressions. What we see as a flawed marriage may really be quite healthy in its own sad, resigned way. And the kids of these marriages have no idea what to think. They jump into the institution and get embroiled in therapy to help themselves cope.

What allows Ira and Abbey to finally save their relationship from all of this turmoil? Well, I can't say becuase that would give it away. Let's just say, however, that this really is a modern retelling of When Harry Met Sally. Watch that movie now, and it almost seems quaint. Ira and Abbey isn't quaint, but it's almost stupidly radical. The solution to everything is so ridiculous that I almost hope people do not watch this movie and resort to thinking the solution may work for them, too.

I still give it three stars, however, because overall, it's a pretty good movie. I enjoyed it throughout, for it's almost a refreshingly smart romantic comedy. Except at the end, when I felt like I had been duped.

I liked nothing about this movie - from start to finish. At least the finish point for me, as I just couldn't take poor acting, boring plot, etc. There's nothing more to say. It was just mediocre, at best.

Just a funny movie! There are also some girlie scenes (my wife loved that stuff). Basically, this is an excellent movie to watch with your mate.

I enjoyed watching the neurotic characters Ira & Abby, loved the actress who played Abby (I first saw her in "Kissing Jessica Stein"), & loved the actor who played Ira (he is hilarious, had some of the funniest lines in the movie!). Highly recommend it, laughed through much of this movie at how it pokes fun at the craziness and reality of love, relationships, and psychotherapy.

Ira Black can't finish anything. He can't commit to his girlfriend Lea, nor can he finish his doctoral dissertation. His analyst parents are no help; their solution to all Ira's problems is to offer to pay for therapy. When Ira joins a gym, he's smitten by the salesperson, Abby. They get married. Ira begins to find fault with Abby--she lacks ambition. Of course, he's still not finishing anything. The shrinks get involved and things get complicated for everyone for a while before working themselves out.

The supporting cast is wonderful, and everyone obviously had fun making this endearing little film. Fans of Larry David and Woody Allen should put this on their must-see list. Special features include director/producer's commentary, outtakes and deleted scenes.

The reason I didn't rate this five stars is that Ira and Abby only commit themselves to each other for "as long as it lasts" which means nothing, and certainly isn't marriage. That was the only dumb aspect of an otherwise smart movie.

"Ira & Abby" pairs Chris Messina from "Humboldt County" with Jennifer Westfeldt from "Kissing Jessica Stein." Westfeldt wrote the screenplay and delivers a quirky offbeat performance as Abby, a woman who sees the world differently. Messina's Ira is a guy who has a lot of ability, but can't quite put the pieces together. Both sets of parents also play prominently. Ira's mother Arlene is played by TV's "Who's the Boss" star Judith Light. Arlene's classy elegance and ice queen exterior is given depth and shading by Light's performance, with the scene in the recording studio being her best moment. Robert Klein plays Ira's dad Seymore, a bit of a putts for a professional guy. The film's relationships kind of mirror TV's "Dharma & Greg" with Ira's parents being uptown, wealthy and professional and Abby's parents being more the free spirit/hippy types. Fred Willard plays Abby's dad Michael who does voice-overs for a living. Frances Conroy who worked with Chris Messina on the last year of TV's "Six Feet Under" plays the hippy mother Lynne. This oddball comic romp seems to crash to the conclusion that marriage cannot sustain true love but rather smothers it. While I'm not personally sure that I agree with this, I did enjoy the film, the characters and their romance. Enjoy!

I just loved this movie. It had an interesting, rather novel storyline to back up the romance and, fortunately, very good actors that carry the story. Rent it, buy it, watch it! (I also fell in love with one of the groups that sings one of the songs in the movie -- check out "The 88".)

Ira & Abby

Absolutely delightful. A lovely movie about the ups and downs of the relationship of a young couple questioning whether the only path to happiness is "I do." A must see for young and old. Elizabeth