Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Chris Rock, Kerry Washington, Gina Torres,
Steve Buscemi, Edward Herrmann, Welker White,
Samantha Ivers, Cassandra Freeman
Written by Chris Rock, Louis CK & Eric Rohmer
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £17.99
DVD Region 2 | Runtime 90 minutes
Directed by Chris Rock
You know, I think I like Chris Rock. In the past few years he's toned down his "angry black man who hates all whiteys" schtick and produced that reasonably amusing sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris, based on his experiences growing up in the predominantly black neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, in Brooklyn. Now here he is directing his second film (his first, Head of State, didn't do amazingly well). He's also the producer, star and co-writer (although this is a remake), and it's not all that bad an effort.
Rock plays Richard Cooper, a middle-class investment banker. He has a great job, a beautiful wife (Torres), two gorgeous kids and a lovely house in the suburbs. Yep, he's pretty much living the whitebread life that Rock always mocks in his standup act. But for all that he's got going for him, Cooper is bored with his life. And after seven years of marriage, he's no longer getting laid (but trust me, you don't need to be married to not be having sex). His wife is always too busy, or too tired, or too asleep. Which means that his sex life is all in his head, and he's constantly fantasising about the women he sees — on the train during his daily commute, on the streets of New York in the office. One day an old friend, Nikki (Washington) turns up at his office. She's the former girlfriend of an old buddy of Cooper's, and wants a letter of recommendation to help her get a job. Cooper always had a bit of a thing for her, and he finds those feelings rekindled ...
I Think I Love My Wife is based on Eric Rohmer's 1972 French film Chloe in The Afternoon. What Rock brings to his version, though, is his edgier approach, plus the rawness of his dialogue (if you're not already familiar with Rock's work, he doesn't shy away from using the word fuck. A lot). Despite that, it's still a warm, wryly observed comedy about modern marriage. And although Rock makes a better standup comic than an actor, he's coming along nicely as a director. One thing does puzzle me, though — both this film and Head of State were released straight to DVD here in the UK. Neither film got a cinema release. And in the case of I Think I Love My Wife, I'm perplexed because this is a much funnier film than many purported comedies that have had theatrical releases in the past 12 months — Meet The Spartans and The Hottie & The Nottie being two absolute turkeys that spring easily to mind. So, do UK distributors have a problem with African-Americans? Or do they simply hate Chris?
EXTRAS *** A pretty tame commentary track with star/producer/director/co-writer Chris Rock, a dozen or so alternative and deleted scenes, a blooper reel and a Casting Session featurette.