Sat, 03/24/2007 - 10:45am

If one were to take a quick scan over Chris Rock's filmography, it'd be easy to conclude that the guy has had a pretty darn good career. As an actor. His career as an actual filmmaker has been pretty medicore, for the most part. Down to Earth was an updated remake that lacked both comedy and perspective. Head of State, a decent effort to be sure, but collapsed under a bevy of deadweight characters. Rock's films work best when he takes from his often scathing stage show. Social commentary is his stock in trade.

I Think I Love My Wife is the first of Rock's films that combines his unique observational talents with a personal perspective. An update on Eric Rohmer's 1972 film, Love in the Afternoon, it follows the marriage of Richard and Brenda Cooper. They've been married for eight years, have two kids, and are bored out of their minds. Having been married since 1996 and with two kids himself, this is a subject that Rock just might be familiar with.

Richard is a very successful investment banker, stifled by the constant reminder that he and his wife haven't had sex in a very long time. Sex seems to be everywhere, and poor Richard is at the end of his rope. Something is obviously missing, and he's gotta get it from somewhere. As if on cue, along comes Nikki True, an old acquaintance from before he was married. She was his best friend's girl back then, and she drove the man into a straight jacket. But she's beautiful, and impossibly sexy. What's more, she seems to need Richard's help.

As Nikki begins to show up at Richard's office day after day, his performance begins to slip.He's increasingly wrapped up in the way Nikki reminds him of happier times when sex was readily at hand, he had no responsibilities, and could just have a good time without repercussion. Nikki doesn't really seem to want Richard. She just wants SOMEONE. She takes particular pleasure in watching Richard squirm as she flaunts her sexuality. It's a wonder the man holds out as long as he does. Speaking as a red blooded American male, I would've caved at the first whip of her hair.

Rock mines some comedy gold out of poor Richard's predicament, but it's in the differences in Nikki and Brenda that he reallly hits the mark. Brenda represents the ideal mother archetype. Gorgeous, intelligent, and a great caretaker of their children. Nikki is a vixen of the highest order. She courts trouble at every turn, never seems to have a reliable job, and what's worse SHE SMOKES! Ofcourse she also makes this look sexy. When Nikki and Brenda first meet in the women's lingerie department, the differences between them couldn't be more apparent not only to us, but to Richard as well. It's to Rock's credit that we feel as if we're caught in the middle right along with him.

Where Rock seems to still miss the mark is in the overuse of material that just doesn't seem to fit with the tone of the movie. He seems unnaturally obsessed with playing the race card, shoehorning in a bushel of them in the first half of the film. This immediately takes you out of the moment. It feels like stage material. Maybe he feels he needs to put these jokes in so his fans won't be disappointed. Also, I don't feel that Brenda was ever fully represented in the way she needed to be. Mostly she seems to be in the background, and when she's around it's to make Richard feel small. She never makes any real effort to repair their marriage until it's nearly too late. What exactly is Richard holding on to, then? What's stopping him?

Despite these problems, I Think I Love My Wife is the most complete film Chris Rock has written to date. It's also the best acting performance he's had since we caught a glimpse of his serious side in Nurse Betty. The performances all around are superb, especially by Steve Buscemi as Richard's philandering business partner, George. If you're looking for a faithful remake of Rohmer, then this might not be for you. However, you'd be missing a fun, often hilarious film that makes light of a situation that nearly every married couple will go through at some point. If Rock can maintain this level of quality, we might be in for some true gems somewhere down the road.

About the author
M. Travis Hopson is a member of the DC Film Society, as well as a screener for the American Film Institute in Silver Spring.