I Think I Love My Wife
Encyclopedia
I Think I Love My Wife is a romantic comedy
-drama
2007
film directed by and starring Chris Rock
and Kerry Washington
. Rock co-wrote (with Louis C.K.
) and produced the film. It is a remake
of the 1972
French film
, Chloe in the Afternoon by Éric Rohmer
.
) is a happily married man, professionally successful, perfectly content with his home life, his lovely wife Brenda (Gina Torres
), and his two young children. There is one problem in his marriage, their sex life has stagnated, leaving Richard frustrated and sex-starved. At one point Brenda accuses Richard of being on the down-low. During those dull days at the office, he occasionally fantasizes about other women, but never acts upon the impulses. He is best friends with coworker George Franco (Steve Buscemi
).
An encounter with the sultry Nikki (Kerry Washington
) suddenly casts doubt over his typically resilient self-control. At first she claims to just want to be his friend, but she begins to show up consistently at his office just to talk or have lunch, which causes his boss, secretaries and peers to view him with varying degrees of contempt. When Nikki begins to deliberately seduce Richard, he does not know what to do. Later in the movie, she and her fiancé are about to move to Los Angeles
. Nikki asks Richard to come to her apartment later to say a "proper goodbye." When he gets to Nikki's apartment, he finds her in her underwear in her bathroom. In the moments before it seems Richard will consummate his feelings for Nikki he realizes how much he has to lose with the love he feels for his children and wife, so he walks out, leaving Nikki calling him back to the bedroom. He comes back home, surprising his wife, and, for the first time in the film, they really connect, with a possible promise of good things to come.
was slated to direct but dropped out.
This is the second time Rock and Washington have been paired on screen. Previously they were in Bad Company
, playing a couple.
Mumbai
-based UTV Motion Pictures
made its entry into the American market by co-producing the film.
The train station scenes were filmed in the New York City suburb of Pelham
.
reported that 19% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 105 reviews. Users of Rotten Tomatoes gave the film 4.6/10 average rating.Metacritic
reported that critics rated the film 49/100 based on 30 reviews. Users of Metacritic gave the film an average rating of 3.8/10 based on 35 reviews. It grossed $5 million on its opening weekend, reaching #5. The film grossed a worldwide total of $13 million.
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
-drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
film directed by and starring Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
and Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles's wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray , as Idi Amin's wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland, and as Alicia Masters, love interest of Ben Grimm, The Thing, in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007...
. Rock co-wrote (with Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.
Louis Szekely , known professionally as Louis C.K., is a stand-up comedian, television and film writer, actor, producer, and director...
) and produced the film. It is a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1972
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
French film
Cinema of France
The Cinema of France comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad.France is the birthplace of cinema and was responsible for many of its early significant contributions. Several important cinematic movements, including the Nouvelle...
, Chloe in the Afternoon by Éric Rohmer
Éric Rohmer
Éric Rohmer was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter and teacher. A figure in the post-war New Wave cinema, he was a former editor of Cahiers du cinéma....
.
Plot
Richard Cooper (Chris RockChris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
) is a happily married man, professionally successful, perfectly content with his home life, his lovely wife Brenda (Gina Torres
Gina Torres
Gina Torres is an American television and movie actress. She is known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy. She has appeared in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , Xena: Warrior Princess , the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, as well as Alias , Firefly Gina...
), and his two young children. There is one problem in his marriage, their sex life has stagnated, leaving Richard frustrated and sex-starved. At one point Brenda accuses Richard of being on the down-low. During those dull days at the office, he occasionally fantasizes about other women, but never acts upon the impulses. He is best friends with coworker George Franco (Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
).
An encounter with the sultry Nikki (Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles's wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray , as Idi Amin's wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland, and as Alicia Masters, love interest of Ben Grimm, The Thing, in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007...
) suddenly casts doubt over his typically resilient self-control. At first she claims to just want to be his friend, but she begins to show up consistently at his office just to talk or have lunch, which causes his boss, secretaries and peers to view him with varying degrees of contempt. When Nikki begins to deliberately seduce Richard, he does not know what to do. Later in the movie, she and her fiancé are about to move to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Nikki asks Richard to come to her apartment later to say a "proper goodbye." When he gets to Nikki's apartment, he finds her in her underwear in her bathroom. In the moments before it seems Richard will consummate his feelings for Nikki he realizes how much he has to lose with the love he feels for his children and wife, so he walks out, leaving Nikki calling him back to the bedroom. He comes back home, surprising his wife, and, for the first time in the film, they really connect, with a possible promise of good things to come.
Production
Charles Stone IIICharles Stone III
Charles Stone III is a film director, known for films such as Drumline starring Nick Cannon, Mr. 3000 starring Bernie Mac, and Paid in Full....
was slated to direct but dropped out.
This is the second time Rock and Washington have been paired on screen. Previously they were in Bad Company
Bad Company (2002 film)
Bad Company is a 2002 action-comedy film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock.-Plot:...
, playing a couple.
Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
-based UTV Motion Pictures
UTV Motion Pictures
UTV Motion Pictures Plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Software Communications Ltd. , based in London media and entertainment production company...
made its entry into the American market by co-producing the film.
The train station scenes were filmed in the New York City suburb of Pelham
Pelham (town), New York
Pelham is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 12,396. Historically, Pelham was composed of five villages and became known as "the Pelhams"...
.
Reception
The film received generally negative reviews. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 19% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 105 reviews. Users of Rotten Tomatoes gave the film 4.6/10 average rating.Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported that critics rated the film 49/100 based on 30 reviews. Users of Metacritic gave the film an average rating of 3.8/10 based on 35 reviews. It grossed $5 million on its opening weekend, reaching #5. The film grossed a worldwide total of $13 million.