Almost Married follows Kyle (Philip McGinley) who contracts an STI on his stag do. To get the all clear, he must wait 90 days to be tested and so, with the help of best friend Jarvis (Mark Stobbart), he must avoid sex with his wife-to-be Lydia (Emily Atack), but how long can he keep it up before there is no wedding?
This works as an (and I cannot emphasise this next word enough) unintentional comment on the rise in awareness of STI’s in the popular consciousness in the last few decades. We’re finally at the point where a comedy about this can be made instead of just being something disgusting or funny that happens to a character.
While on the topic, when it’s funny, it is really funny. It is very upfront about it’s lewd humour, which works. It has the ring of truth to it of mates-down-the-pub comic sensibility, delivering knee-jerk belly laughs over trying to be satirical. However, the structure really lets down the fun to be had.
It is clumsily plotted, with a big dip in the middle where it becomes quite dramatic (out of the blue) and feels aimless, then it finds a plot that would have been better had it started earlier. The main plot, which does have a ton of comic potential, should have been a minor point, having Kyle avoiding sex while doing something with more of a linear focus. As it is, the last 30 minutes or so of proper plotting leaves a bitter taste, showing us a decent film that could, and to be honest should, have been.
In a similar vein, the drama falls as the film sets up the relationship between Kyle and Jarvis, and then it enters serious mode and Jarvis disappears. While there isn’t a bad performance to be seen, Stobbart is absolutely hilarious, and his absence is obvious making it feel like it should have been more focused on Jarvis and Kyle doing…whatever.
It would be unfair of me to not mention that this isn’t a slap-dash film in it’s visual presentation. There are some great shots and editing here and it comes across professionally, hoping meaning more work for writer/director Ben Cookson who is obviously a very capable film maker. Unfortunately this isn’t enough to wash away the issues, but hopefully we’ll be seeing another British comedy with a bit more plot polish from this new, rough talent.
While it never regains the momentum it loses for it’s stifling middle and the fact it shows us what might have been in the last 30 minutes is salt in the wounds, Almost Married is a decent comedy and it’s well worth a watch for a few good laughs.
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