I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE
Nikki In The Afternoon: The Pursuit of Infidelity, via Chris
Rock
PopcornReel.com Movie Review: "I Think I Love My Wife"
By Omar P.L. Moore/March 18, 2007
While the cat's at home, the mouse shall roam: Chris Rock, who stars,
directs, co-produces and co-wrote "I Think I Love My Wife." Gina Torres is
in the background. (Photo: Fox Searchlight)
In the U.S. and Canada on March 16, 2007, Fox Searchlight Pictures released "I
Think I Love My Wife", a film directed by Chris Rock --- a remake of Eric
Rohmer's classic 1972 film from France entitled "Chloe In The Afternoon", about
an accomplished married man who never considers the "I"-word until temptation in
the form of a long-lost friend from the past comes his way. That original
film was stirring and sent ripples through audiences everywhere. Mr.
Rock's film may or may not have the same effect, but the second half of "I Think
I Love My Wife" turns as serious as its subject matter ought to be, if only
for about 25 minutes.
One thing that Mr. Rock is never bad at is thought-provoking comedy and at
numerous points throughout "I Think I Love My Wife" (which he co-wrote with
fellow comedian and collaborator Louis C.K.) the jokes, barbs, implications and insults hit hard,
especially the use of the "N-word", which alas, Mr. Rock gleefully delights in.
He uses the "N-word" as if he's tossing out candy. (The other night on
CNN's "Larry King Live" he continued to use the word profusely.) Mr. Rock plays
Richard, a New York suburban married man and prominent investment banker in midtown Manhattan, who is the only black
person at Pupkin & Johnson. He is the
top-money maker there. He has secretaries who lean on his every word (and
more). He has a colleague, George (Steve Buscemi, hilarious at times here), who has as many office dalliances as he
has clients at Pupkin. And George says he's happily married. And has
been, he says, for seventeen years. The scary and uncomfortable thing is
that George behaves as if his wife (whom we never see) is on another planet.
George speaks about her as if she is on Venus, Pluto, or that new tenth planet that
some scientists recently said existed.
Luckily Richard's wife is very much on Earth, for she is
Gina Torres, who as Brenda doesn't make the mistake of playing a shrew of a wife, or a
stereotypical shouting, head-shaking, weaving black woman that have strafed
one-too-many comedies over the years (from the '80's "Harlem Nights", the '90's
"Jerry Maguire", and from 2007, "Norbit" and "Wild Hogs".)
Ms. Torres is the best thing about Mr. Rock's film. She does well here as
Brenda, taking her role in the film seriously, while also being light-hearted
and not over the top (unlike the rest of the cast). Brenda is a
stay-at-home mother, a beautiful woman who presumably has made money in business
before she met Richard. Their two children are adorable, cute and
well-behaved. Perfect, right?
Caught between two worlds: fantasy and fidelity: Chris Rock, as Richard, with
Kerry Washington (center) as Nikki, and Gina Torres, (right) as Brenda,
Richard's wife, in "I Think I Love My Wife." (Photo: Fox Searchlight)
Not quite, because Nikki Tru (played by Kerry Washington, an
actor with diverse roles whose acting skill is much better than she shows here)
has just exploded onto the scene and for Richard, everything changes.
And so to an extent does the movie itself. A wild, funny and frenetic first hour
calms down in the second hour to become a serious look at the consequences of
truth and falsity in marriage. What does one truly want when they marry
another? And during the marriage what do they truly want? Is wanting
the same as desiring? Richard clearly desires Nikki, a close friend of
Richard's from the very distant past, but does he really want her? Need
her? Do any of these questions matter when desire, want and need are
concerned vis-a-vis men and women? "My Wife" is interesting (though
contains the occasional needless diversion from the story) and some of the
issues it ponders provide food for thought. And Mr. Rock again proves the
old adage that humor comes from some of the deepest pain, and this film, which
he also co-produced (with Lisa Stewart) occasionally demonstrates this.
If you want numerous gut-busting laughs and occasional thought-provoking
moments, "I Think I Love My Wife" will work for you, but if you are looking for
a serious exploration of infidelity and human foibles, there are films like the
unsettling "Unfaithful" (Diane Lane and Richard Gere) that will serve you just
perfectly.
"I Think I Love My Wife", which opened last Friday (March 16) in North
America, is released by Fox Searchlight, and also stars Edward Herrmann.
The film is rated R for pervasive language and some sexual content. The
film's duration is one hour and 30 minutes.
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