Judd Apatow has put a ring on Universal’s finger and pledged his next producing project, a comedy called Five-Year Engagement. The good news, aside from the fact that it has Apatow’s Jesus-like blessing, is that Jason Segel is set to star in it.

Segel is the guy from How I Met Your Mother and he’s one of the sidekicks in Knocked Up. Or, if you’re a supernerd like me, then you know he was also one of the principal players in both of Apatow’s failed television shows Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks. Meanwhile if you’re not a supernerd, you’re probably sick and tired of having people shove down Apatow’s TV flops down your throat. Sorry, we can’t help it. They’re only the best shows in the history of television.

The point here is that Segel is good and his goodness is finally getting him somewhere. This summer he’ll have his first starring slot in another Apatow produced comedy called Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and now even if that sucks and flops he’ll get another shot to make this whole movie career thing take off. What’s more, he’s co-writing this one writer-director Nick Stoller. And people say Hollywood sucks. Not for Jason Segel.

Variety says his mulligan movie Five-Year Engagement is a “bawdy, couples comedy”. I think that means they’ll be using dirty words. Hopefully, Segel’s character is smart enough not to use the “C” word, because that never works out. Aside from all the cursing and if we’re lucky gratuitous boob shots, the movie follows a man and his fiancee over five years through the ups and downs of their relationship as they fail to fully commit.

My one concern here is that Segel is on the verge of getting stuck in the romantic comedy dead zone. I guess that’s a step up from his previous place on the Hollywood shelf, the best friend zone, but still it’d be nice if he could clear out a space more like Seth Rogen’s, and no I don’t mean he should be relegated to stoner comedies. Ok, maybe he’s not quite as funny as Rogen but he does have a certain sort of affable charm. He’s at least as talented as Ben Stiller. Modern day Ben Stiller, not early-90s Ben Stiller. After Five-Year Engagement is over and done with, let’s change things up and pair Jason Segel with a dinosaur or something.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Apatow-And-Segel-Enter-Five-Year-Engagement-8011.html