I Think I Love My Wife

Chris Rock has enjoyed surprising success in his motion-picture career, but in attempting to remake Eric Rohmer's 1972 masterpiece Chloe in the Afternoon he's perhaps bitten off more than he can chew. In outline form, Rock's Americanized version seems perfectly serviceable, with the comic starring as Richard Cooper, a bored but generally content investment banker whose biggest problem is that his beautiful, loving wife (Gina Torres) doesn't want sex as much as he does. Enter Nikki (Kerry Washington), an ex-mistress of an old friend, who's looking for a job and hopes to get a letter of recommendation. This chance encounter turns into a series of platonic afternoon rendezvous that starts Richard wondering if maybe he shouldn't begin an affair with Nikki for real. Unfortunately, Rock—who also wrote and directed—isn't particularly well cast as Richard; his performance fails to strike a consistent tone (he too frequently indulges his comedic side by snapping out inappropriate or superfluous one-liners). The central miscasting might well have been a fatal flaw, but Rock receives superb support from his female costars—especially Washington, whose turns here and in The Last King of Scotland suggest that she's ready for big-time stardom. I Think I Love My Wife isn't a bad film, but it falls far short of the original. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include both widescreen and full screen versions on the same disc, audio commentary by writer-director-star Chris Rock, an 11-minute “I Do Love Making this Movie” featurette, 13 alternate/deleted scenes (11 min.), a Fox Movie Channel “Casting Session” featurette (9 min.), two minutes of bloopers, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so film.] (E. Hulse)