You might think that a movie with such a stellar cast would have some saving graces; but it doesn't. Bart Freundlich's effort dabbles in crudity that is just crude, comedy that is not funny and serious comment that cannot be taken seriously. it doesn't have enough of any of the above features, and really can't decide what message it's trying to convey. In a desparate last-moment effort to make things clear it kind of vomits out a syrupy ending that is embarrasing, implausible and absolutely out of synch with the rest of the film. A pity.

Such great actors, such potential. Such a bad film. Bad writing, crass immature 'humor' (starts with a burp/fart/poop three-part "joke" and goes down hill from there.The characters are all 1 dimensional. There's Mr. I'm Bored/my wife isn't good enough... so I cheat. There's the stereotype of the professional woman too busy to fulfill her husband'd's needs. There's the intelligent interesting woman who suddenly is DESPERATE to get married and BREED. There's the usual "fear of commitment" guy.I can't remember a funny moment or even a moment that seemed true to life.And the ending was just disgusting. After both guys spend the 2nd half of the film bitching about how their women dumped them -- they make one last minute pathetic attempt to get their attention... and it works?? There was no apology. They act like middle schoolers - passing notes, stealing flower. There was no change/no growth/no character development. Duchovny wasn't sorry he cheated-- he was sorry he got caught. There's nothing to assume he won't do the same thing next week. And the 2nd guy didn't decide he wanted to get married on his own -- he merely gave in to his girlfriend's demands. They were all stupid.

Duchovny and Crudup are the main characters in this film and we see the world around them through the prism of their significant others and how the four of them all interact with each other.Duchovny's married to Crudup's sister- which is kind of unclear in the beginning and hobbles the script's integrity as a result. It's almost as if he wasn't written in as the brother and then later on they changed their minds.The women in this film are not particularly attractive, mainly due to unflattering lighting and camera angles and this could have been intentional but, I like a little eye candy myself and this movie is short on that.What we DO have plenty of is duchovny's famous wiseass deadpan delivery of comedy that makes you think a little bit in order to get the joke sometimes. If you don't enjoy his sense of humor- you will despise this film. I like his smirk ridden sarcasm and verbal jabs that half his victims don't even comprehend as an insult -so for me it was entertaining, the scene with the sandwich and the group therapy was classic for his style.What we don't get in this movie is a believable ending or consistently believable characters- there are a few scenes that should have been on the editing floor and a bit more plot would have been nice. But this is a dorky romantic comedy so you can't be too harsh on it. As this genre goes- it's a pretty good one.When you watch this film you may think it is hokey or dorky but you will find enough laughs in between to keep watching. This is not a stellar flick, it's kind of mediocre and enjoyable but not really up to snuff with the dialog, the plot or the camera work. The unique humor presentation is what makes this movie watchable for me- you will hear jokes you wouldn't hear anywhere else, obscure, inside and of the moment, and that's fun.PLOT: two couples both break up and then we watch them try and get back together in fits and starts with all the classic scenes- the weird new boyfriend, the dinner party, the drama scene in public, etc.... Duchovny's wife's brother is half of couple number two in the plot. you will recognize the woman, in couple number two,Maggie Gyllenhaal as the lead in the weird and suggested film SECRETARY. Secretary is about as close as you can find to the exact opposite of this flick. :-)

My wife and I both enjoyed this movie. If you're married or have been dating someone for a long time I think you'll appreciate it a lot more.The movie takes a refreshingly direct approach to telling the stories of its characters - none of them are perfect. There are a couple of moments that seem contrived or silly, but for the most part I was able to actually relate to the main characters.I appreciated the writing, and the way they told an honest story of real people, relationships, and sex, without using graphic language or nudity. I definitely recommend that you watch this movie with your spouse / significant other.