THE FIVE –YEAR ENGAGEMENT  is a very smart, thoughtful, romantic, perceptive and occasionally flat-out hilarious movie that deserved much more applause than the lukewarm claps it received. It made about $55,000,000 on a budget of $30,000,000, so it wasn’t a huge popular success either. Not dumb enough, apparently.

Engaged after a year together, job-related issues force a couple to postpone their wedding repeatedly. In a nutshell, that’s it, with some moves around the country thrown in for regional flavoring. Directed, produced & co-written by Nicholas Stoller, captain of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which also starred leading man Jason Segel, who shares the script credit here.

Dakota Johnson: “Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!”

Rhys Ifans, professor: shoot on sight.

Segel’s a winning performer, and luckily, here he’s teamed with Emily Blunt, so there’s charm to spare. With Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Jacki Weaver. David Paymer, Jim Piddock, Mimi Kennedy, Mindy Kaling, Lauren Weedman, Chris Parnell, Kevin Hart and Randall Park.

124 minutes, a bit longer than most comedies of recent years, but the characters are so likable and their myriad situations are recognizable and entertaining so the time invested is justified.  Loved it.