I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE
(R)
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
STARRING
Chris Rock as RICHARD COOPER
Kerry Washington as NIKKI TRU
Gina Torres as BRENDA COOPER
Steve Buscemi as GEORGE
Created by: Chris Rock
Studio: Fox Searchlight
BY KEVIN CARR
Ever since it was released, I’ve told people that they won’t fully appreciate Chris Rock’s “I Think I Love My Wife” unless they’re married. Rock himself has been married for a while, and he mines plenty of good material for his stand-up from his life. This isn’t the greatest comedy to come out, but it’s par for the course for Rock, who directs himself and other decently but not expertly.
“I Think I Love My Wife” is a remake of the French drama “Chloe in the Afternoon,” which sees a bored suburbanite flirting with the idea of having an affair. Rock nails the humdrum nature of marriage, and he is dead on with his assessment of what makes a guy tick – both in and out of a marriage. Unfortunately, when things get cleared up in the movie, it happens too quickly and easily.
Rock has good chemistry with Kerry Washington, who plays the vixen trying to have Rock for one last fling. However, the set-up of the wife, played by Gina Torres, makes her annoying and cold enough that I almost wanted Rock’s character to make it with Washington’s.
Still, there are funny moments, especially those surreal parts that are drawn directly from Rock’s stand-up. The DVD comes with a nice assortment of special features, including a commentary by Rock, as well as deleted scenes, bloopers, a spotlight on the film’s casting and a behind-the-scenes featurette.