Customer Reviews

I Think I Love My Wife

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Marriage is a wonderful thing. Very few things will make you feel like you're on the top of the world then having a wife and kids to take care of. The problem with marriage is that at one point it's going to get old, and you'll wake up one morning and wonder if you made the right choice or not. This is the situation Richard Cooper (Chris Rock) finds himself in at the beginning of "I Think I Love My Wife." He opens the movie describing the great life he has. He has a beautiful wife, two wonderful kids, and a job that pays well. There's just one problem: He's bored out of his %&#^!^@ mind! He and his wife, Brenda (Gina Torres), used to have sex all the time. Nowadays though there is always an excuse to not have sex. Either it's not his birthday, she doesn't feel like it, or her face hurts.

Whatever the reason is, the two aren't as romantically involved as Richard would like them to be, and with so much temptation in the world, Richard is finding it hard to stay faithful. I know the feeling, seeing as how I used to have a dog that used to love to play, but once he got older my goldfish was becoming far more interesting then he was. Richard's life gets a little bit of a jolt when an old flame of his, Nikki Tru (Kerry Washington), comes into his office asking for a favor. The two then begin a non-sexual affair where she is obviously flirting with him, and he feels guilty about spending time with her, but he has to admit that he's having some fun again. His co-workers are worried about Richard though. Not only does he cost the company a multi-million dollar deal, but they fear he will destroy his marriage if he keeps going on like this.

Richard's friend George (Steve Buscemi) warns him that "[Nikki] is nothing but trouble." When Richard points out that George has had multiple affairs with other women, George responds "I can have an affair and sleep like a baby. You on the other hand have morals." Yes, despite the fact that Richard goes through an entire movie checking out other women, he is likable. In one of the funniest scenes in the movie, Richard takes his wife out to dinner with a couple of their friends to get away from the temptation of Nikki. When his waitress proves to be showing some heavy cleavage, Richard tells the manager of the restaurant "Is this a Hooters? Because if it is, then I think you owe me some buffalo wings."

Chris Rock, who seems to be reaching a turning point in his own life, seems to be letting go of some of his own real life frustrations in this movie. He not only wrote a good portion of the movie, but he also directs the movie. In the movie itself, he is the narrator as well as protagonist. It's not a perfect film. There are several scenes that feel weirdly out of place. An argument Richard has with his wife about eating chicken every night comes off as unrealistic, and regardless of the circumstance that lead up to that fight, I doubt the wife would have taken the argument as seriously as she did. A scene involving a viragra pill that goes screwy is certainly funny, but again, feels rather forced in the actual movie.

What the movie does have in it's favor is a likable lead character who loves his wife but is frustrated with his marriage. He doesn't always make the best choices in the movie, but I think what's important is that he makes the right choices when the time comes. There is some social commentary about how women go out of their way to make themselves look sexy, and how it can be frustrating for a man going through a marriage crisis to walk the streets and have to look at all these women, most of which who walk around half naked. "I Think I Love My Wife" is going to make you laugh a lot, but it will also make you look at your own life and what you feel is really important to you. After a string of bad movies it's nice to see Chris Rock revive his movie career in a very interesting way. Not with flash but with substance.

Rating: *** stars

This is a movie I saw in the video store with my dad and we both together had to pick out a movie and he wasn't interested but alone I wanted to see it. I am glad I watched it. It was the type of situation that MANY MANY people find themselves in. The case of the "emotional affair" which generally can make you feel just as guilty because your mind is focused in another direction. I throughly enjoyed this flick because I understand the concept of the movie fully as well as love Chris Rock. I wasn't sure which girl I was rooting for. Both were beautiful and had positive qualities but I thought he had more chemistry with Nikki and in a movie.....thats what you want to see.....Age old question....happiness or morality and can you be happy and married at the same time???? Marriage has it's ups and downs and this demonstrates that lull that can occur after being married for 7 or 8 years and that you can get yourself out of it with communication and loyalty. I always like Steve Buschemi so I was happy to see him make and appearance. I think this is definately worth watching and I would recommend it highly:):):):)

As much as I loved this movie I really have to say that Chris Rock stacked the deck in his favor here. Being male and being married means that he is going to have an itch- he will view every woman as beautiful and obtainable (if not for the wife) and somehow perfect for him. The problem as I saw it was the way Rock refused to let his character, Richard, be seen as the shady one. Not only has his wife cut him off from sex but the new girl in town, Nikki (Kerry Washington), is really hot and really throwing herself at him. But let's keep it real for a minute here. I'm sure Richard would not need to deprived, nor would Nikki have to be the least bit attractive for this film to work. The only difference is that Richard would be a much less likeable guy. Other than that "I Think I Love My Wife" delivered on every level for me. Sure, maybe I'm biased. I see Rock as the funniest man in showbiz and one of the most perceptive. His stand up show "Bigger and Blacker" has served as something of a Bible for me since its release in 1999. There isn't one problem in my daily life that can't be solved by quoting a line from that show, and I know them all. I even liked "Head of State." And still this movie is better than that one, it is hilarious in the way that it examines the world through the eyes of a sex starved married guy.

The plot is really easy to follow. Richard is bored with his frigid wife. Then, in a blast from the past, his old friend Nikki shows up looking for a job reference and so much more. She looks just like the siren she is, which means Richard is no match for her charms. Richard, taking orders from his most important of organs, follows her around, getting himself into heaps of trouble and threatening the cornerstones of his life, namely his job and his marriage. But who needs a plot anyways; this is about Rock rocking his thing. His wit and power of observation are amazing throughout ("It's from the Latifa collection.") Some scenes were pretty obviously written for a stand up routine and transplanted somewhat obtusely into the film, one example is the scene where he starts a fight with his wife because he is going out of his "Finger Licking Mind." But no matter, that scene still had me laughing so all is forgiven. The middle class lifestyle that he and so many others have chosen is not sexy but safe. If he were to run off with Nikki it would either fizzle out or become just as boring, these are simple, hard facts when it comes to relationships. Nikki may start off looking like the Holy Grail (and Washington, all hooched up, has never looked better) but with time comes familiarity which breeds contempt.

The film goes with the cushy ending, he stays married and Nikki gets married. And while normally I would boo this crap off the screen I somehow agreed with its message here. Nikki's come and go but women you can share your life with should be treasured. Oh boy I'm getting old. Anybody can find a new piece of meat, listen to the Foo Fighters, and pretend that this time it will be different, that this time you won't get tired of them. But it is a lie. On a final note I do have to wonder what was up with the law firm Richard works at being called Pupkin and Langford. Seeing as how I just watched "King of Comedy" I find it highly unlikely that it is a mere coincidence. Sure Nikki hounds Richard the way Pupkin hounded Langford way back in '83, but beyond that I have no answer. All I can say is that this is a great piece of work that should be seen by all, even those of you who are currently happy with your domestic situation. ***3/4

Been there, done that. Thus I found myself laughing at Chris' rants about his sexless marriage and frustration at not being able bring himself to cross the infidelity picket line. What I don't understand is why was Gina Torres cast as Rock's spouse? Most of the time Torres' acting came across as awkward, deer-in-headlights, and just plain hack. On the flip, Kerry Washington went all out, playing the innocent but seductive 'I could have you if I wanted to' role to the tee. She is the hands-down star of the film. Kind of made me wonder if she had homewrecking experience first-hand!(lol) She easily upstaged both Rock and Torres, to the detriment of the film unfortunately. Torres' miscastment and the overall ploddingness of the script hurt the quality of the film as well. Its disappointing because I'm a fan of both Rock and Torres and expected better from them. And what was up with that horribly lip-synched Rick James and Teena Marie duet? Straight trifling! Chris Rock won't attain Will Smith/Jamie Foxx-type cash with movie offerings like this. Definitely one of those could-have-been-much-better films.

Chris Rock's latest movie starts out on a promising note, but looses momentum till it burns itself in the ending. It slides from funny to generally gross and to downright annoying. In its paths there are a lot of racial jokes, sexual innuendos, and a certain way-over-the-top Viagra incident. Because the ending is what the audience remembers most (as it is the last thing they saw), the movie looses whatever goodwill it earned in the beginning. And that's really a shame - this movie could've been so much more. Rock's usual antics are often either funny or disturbing and in this movie they prove to be more of the latter than the former, still he carries the entire picture on his shoulders alone, with the supporting staff getting in his way rather than helping.

Chris Rock is hilarious as a stand up comedian. But trying to turn his "married and bored, single and lonely" routine into a movie was a bad idea. Not funny at all.

Yeah very good BUT,
Dear Chris Rock,
Dang man how could you end the movie like you did without giving the wife a reason to change her cold demeanor. What a crock of an ending, a sane married person is supposed to believe a cold prude like that is just going to change without going through something herself? Ok, she may not need to get some strange PERHAPS but she sure as heck needs to at least think about it, JUST LIKE YOUR CHARACTER! Dang man, you had an opportunity to make a poignant, demonstrative and meaningful ending and threw it away instead for a conventional, undistinguished VANILLA ending. Somehow my friend, the ending just doesn't seem to be penned alone by your own wit. Suppose the director had a hand in maintaining your pigeon-holed style that has proven sales. Still worthy, if you work and play in Disneyland, U.S.A.

Wow, there's not a lot of love here for Chris Rock's latest film "I Think I Love My Wife", which is surprising considering just how much the movie has going for it. The basic story focuses on Richard Cooper (Rock), a devoted family man whose marriage has lost all passion. An old crush resurfaces to lead Richard into the proverbial valley of temptation, though how well she succeeds is a spoiler I'm not going to give away.

Rock, along with fellow comedian Louis C.K., adapted the main story from the French film "Chloe in the Afternoon", adding their own signature brand of humor, which, like Rock's comedy specials, is laced with profanity and racial humor. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who has seen the show "Everybody Hates Chris", but I was still impressed at how well Rock blended the emotional with the absurd. This isn't a chick flick by any means, but it's more than just another comedy-by-numbers.

Aside from Richard's wife, who comes off as a bit too two-dimensional, the characters are complex and compelling. Rock's character is the best example. You can totally sympathize with his predicament while at the same time cringing at the choices he makes. Even when he's making a decision that he knows is wrong, you can still understand how that particular guy in that particular situation could make that choice. By the end of the movie even Nikki (the other woman) becomes more than just a free-spirited temptress. You never really feel for her, but you at least come to accept that despite her utter disregard for the consequences of her actions, she's really not trying to hurt anyone.

Rock's performance is fantastic, and shows that he can handle a (mostly) serious role just as well as a full-on comedic role. Kerry Washington plays Nikki perfectly, and while Brenda (the wife) wasn't fully developed as a character, Gina Torres did a great job with what she had to work with. Steve Buscemi was great as Richard's boss, but he's pretty much great in everything (with the possible exception of Airheads).

I Think I Love My Wife is part comedy and part cautionary tale. I laughed and cringed in equal amounts, and more than a few times found myself saying "Don't do it, man!" out loud. The ending was too cheesy/borderline absurd for my taste, but overall I was quite pleased with this movie. Hopefully this will not be the last time we see Chris Rock in the director's chair.

DVD Extras: The DVD features the standard bonus material, including some deleted scenes, audio commentary, documentary footage, and an all too brief blooper reel.

Whether the team responsible for producing I Think I Love My Wife was able to deliver their vision, I am so darn glad they tried! Chris' character is really believable as a guy who sincerely wants his marriage to work and is able to say no to terrific calculated temptation. In the end, the end of the movie so many other reviewers, myself included, found unsatisfying, nobody involved in the film knew how to save a marriage--and Chris himself filed for divorce just months after the release of the film, right? Okay, we have to work on that angle. But the fact that the movie showed an African American guy saying no to the stereotype, showed him loving his kids, showed him saying no to a hot hot HOT lady, showed him trying to connect with his wife, it's worth it. I hope Chris gets back together with his real wife and does not get into the "serial marriage" thing of today, which is so awful and empty for women and for men. (By the way,if Chris wants to consult, I can share that the secret to happy marriage is to keep on creating those beautiful babies, and the secret to being able to do that is, make it safe for women to have babies by coming down hard on divorce and infidelity--and as this film does, coming down hard on the women who prey on married men. 'Cause this movie wasn't kind to Ms. Washington, and good on it.)

This movie showed Chris Rock to be an incredibly thoughtful and loving person, as a comedian and as an actor and as a writer and as a human being, and I hope he doesn't listen to the critics. Listen, the little bit of cussing doesn't take away from that; yes, people talk like that in the real world--way worse.

Jan

Unfortunately, Mr Rock trots out the unnecessary racial humor, of the slightly stinging variety. I felt as if I'd paid 7.50 to be insulted for an hour and a half. At some point in the film, the race humor died down for the most part and it began to be somewhat humorous fun again.

Too bad no soundtrack is available for this film; there are some catchy gems. By the way, does anyone know the names of some of the song titles or their artists?