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" Jason Segel co-writes and stars in this romantic comedy, and with Judd Apatow producing and Nicholas Stoller directing (also cohorts on Forgetting Sarah Marshall), the kn*b gags come guaranteed. But their skill is in being able to yank on the heartstrings too, despite the crude humour. Emily Blunt is also a great catch for Segel, charming and funny with mercifully fewer neuroses than Apatow&amp;#039;s usual leading ladies. She plays Violet, a psychology student with ambitions in academia who is chalk to his gourmet cheese - Tom is a talented sous-chef at a San Francisco restaurant. After a cutely clich\u00C3\u00A9d meeting at a New Year&amp;#039;s fancy dress party, Tom proposes against a moonlit backdrop. But what should be a romantic whirlwind becomes a slow tumble-dry with events conspiring to throw them off course, gradually sapping the excitement from their relationship. Initially, Violet doesn&amp;#039;t want to be upstaged by her sister (Alison Brie) who gets a bun in the oven courtesy of Tom&amp;#039;s boorish colleague (a brilliantly deadpan Chris Pratt) at her engagement party. But conflicting career plans prove the biggest hurdle for Tom and Violet in getting down the aisle. It&amp;#039;s a very modern dilemma and Segel and Stoller show the distance between Tom and Violet steadily increasing, even as they inhabit the same space. A scene where Tom demands to be alone, but refuses to let Violet leave the bed crystallises their problem in a way that&amp;#039;s funny and true.  Of course, the comedy isn&amp;#039;t always so subtle. After being forced to move to the Midwest, Tom&amp;#039;s manhood comes under threat and he devolves; growing lots of hair and hunting deer in the woods. But it doesn&amp;#039;t feel like self-indulgence, because he throws himself into depression with such gusto. Rhys Ifans chucks another spanner in the works, playing Violet&amp;#039;s smooth-talking professor with scientific precision, but the couple&amp;#039;s inevitable separation is a sticking point for the film as well. The rapport between Segel and Blunt is key and when they&amp;#039;re not onscreen together, the time drags. Fortunately, Tom and Violet are so vividly realised by this point that you&amp;#039;ll be happy to stick with them through a rough patch. Also featured in this section is Blunt&amp;#039;s uncanny impression of the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street; a hilarious attempt to disguise her anger in front of children. Rarely does a minute go by without a cheeky laugh or a wry bit of observation. Segel and Stoller have a keen feel for where life often gets in the way of our dreams and though the ending is a bit twee, it does offer a different, pleasingly imperfect vision of happily ever after.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/review/a386793/the-five-year-engagement-review-jason-segel-emily-blunt-delay-nuptials/>