I Think I Love My Wife

“I Think I Love My Wife” is Chris Rock’s ambitious attempt at directing a feature-length film, as his last try wasn’t a stunning success. As nearly anyone into comedy would know, Chris Rock is one of America’s most successful comedians. His candid dialogue subjects range from racism to parenting to politics. However, in this comedy-drama, he calms it down a bit to tell a story.

The story centers on a man named Richard Cooper (Chris Rock), a rather average business man who is starting to get a bit bored in his marriage. As he walks down the street, he envisions himself being propositioned by various kinds of women. And before he has time to figure out exactly what is making his marriage so mind-numbingly boring, a past friend named Nikki (Kerry Washington) drops back into his life, causing further turmoil in his unhappy marriage. Nikki comes to Richard’s office nearly every day, much to the dismay of Richard’s co-workers. As Richard sinks deeper and deeper into his just-nearly illicit relationship, he comes closer and closer to being faced with a choice that could affect the rest of his life.

Now for the content… this film is obviously relatively free from violence, aside from one brief scene. However, when it comes to sexual content, this film is saturated in it. It practically swims in sensuality. The world has never looked as immersed in sensuality as when seen through the eyes of Richard Cooper. Every woman becomes an object of lust, not only for Richard, but blatantly for the camera. Overtly-sensually clothed, and in some cases barely clad bodies are on display in nearly every scene. And sexual dialogue is beyond frank. Conversation involving Nikki would make most people blush had she been speaking to them. The way the characters speak in this film regarding sex is not even realistic, considering the characters’ age and life-situations (married, business people). While tame by Chris Rock standards, this will probably detract many from viewing the film.

Language is also tame by Chris Rock standards, but nevertheless, one will still lose count by the end of the movie. Anyone even slightly offended by repeated uses of very harsh language should probably not bother attempting to watch “I Think I Love My Wife.”

Spiritually speaking, this film is a mixed bag. Love is shown to be something that requires work and perseverance, rather than something just felt. This strongly echoes a Biblical sense of love (patient, kind, persevering, not easily angered, etc.). However, the movie’s viewpoint on women is a bit odd. Other reviewers have referred to its portrayal of women as misogynism, and I would have to agree, as women are portrayed as either vicious sex-kittens, or just… boring. And it’s only the married women that are boring. From a Christian perspective, Paul would’ve cringed to see the lusty vamp that is Nikki. That’s about all there is to say on the subject of morality in this film. The movie really leaves viewers scratching their heads as to what the moral actually was.

In the end, this movie is just average. While not the embarrassment of “Down to Earth,” “I Think I Love My Wife” won’t be considered the drama of the year. Chris Rock, while a brilliant (if vulgar) stand-up comedian, is a somewhat lacking actor. However, his part in this film was a large improvement over past efforts, possibly because some segments are only repeats of his stand-up special “Never Scared.” I was shocked to hear portions of this movie which were near-verbatim to his stand-up routine. Would original jokes really be too much to ask of America’s leading stand-up comedian? And aside from his recycled jokes, the rest of the movie really isn’t that funny. It’s actually a bit boring. For some reason, the audience never feels entirely involved in the film. It may be due, in part, to the narrative, as this somewhat distances the audience from the film. It also could be the scattered presentation that leaves the audience grasping as to what the focus of this movie is supposed to be. Or more likely, it could be the childish actions and dialogue of the film’s adult characters, which would leave any mature person wondering what was going on in the characters’ heads. I gave up on trying to figure it out, as there probably isn’t a good answer.

Anyone in the mood for an engaging comedy-drama should just stay at home, as they won’t find one here.

Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Extreme / Sex/Nudity: Heavy

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.