The Seven Year Hitch (2012)

Source

Directed by Bradford May

Written by Greg Rossen and Brian Sawyer

Best friends since they were six, Kevin(DARIN BROOKS) and Jennifer(NATALIE HALL) decide to live together after Jennifer graduates from College, and Kevin could not stay in the dorm anymore because he was no longer a student there anymore, even if he still has six incomplete units(did I get this right?).  He was only supposed to stay with Jennifer for a week or two, but now fast forward to the "present" date, Kevin has been freeloading(not exactly) for seven(7) years now.

They share a Golden Retriever named Napoleon, he packs her lunch, and she is now a respected Architect/City Planner in one of the biggest firms in the State.  

By this time, Jeremy(JOHN SLOAN), is back in town studying for his bar exams for the nth time, but Kevin is still staying with Jennifer, even if Jennifer has a douchebag of a boyfriend named Bryce(RYAN DOOM).  Besides being a douchebag, he is also a scheming, lying, son of someone equivalent to a pond scum.  To impress his boss(FRANCES FLANAGAN) so that he could be partner, he proposes to Jennifer with his grandmother's "engagement" ring.  Argh.

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To be honest, I thought I was going to hate Kevin, like how I almost hated this other character played by Darin Brooks in GROOMZILLA, but he turned out to be one of the most endearing characters ever written.

Yes, he may be a slacker, but he is bright and very talented.  He is also very thoughtful, and very caring.

When Jennifer challenged him he did his best to prove that he would do his end of the bargain.

Later on, Jennifer's longtime friend, Sally(KATY STOLL), would see it too.

In the movie Kevin learns from his brother, Jeremy, that if two people are living together for seven years, and they meet certain conditions, and since their State is one of those above, then they are considered marry through Common Law.  At first he does it for Jennifer, because he knows exactly how wrong Bryce is for her...wait, I am not intending to give the whole story away. (more below)

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Only a few states recognize common law marriages, and each has specific stipulations as to what relationships are included(source):

• Alabama
• Colorado
• District of Columbia
• Georgia (if created before 1/1/97)
• Idaho (if created before 1/1/96)
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Montana
• New Hampshire (for inheritance purposes only)
• Ohio (if created before 10/10/91)
• Oklahoma (possibly only if created before 11/1/98. Oklahoma’s laws and court decisions may be in conflict about whether common law marriages formed in that state after 11/1/98 will be recognized.)
• Pennsylvania (if created before 1/1/05)
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah

If you live in a State that Does Recognize Common Law Marriage

If you live in one of the above states and you “hold yourself out to be married” (by telling the community you are married, calling each other husband and wife, using the same last name, filing joint income tax returns, etc.), you can have a common law marriage (for more information on the specific requirements of each state, see Legal Information and Resources by State). Common law marriage makes you a legally married couple in every way, even though you never obtained a marriage license. If you choose to end your relationship, you must get a divorce, even though you never had a wedding. Legally, common law married couples must play by all the same rules as “regular” married couples. If you live in one of the common law states and don’t want your relationship to become a common law marriage, you must be clear that it is your intention not to marry. The attorneys who wrote Living Together (additional information below) recommend an agreement in writing that both partners sign and date: “Jane Smith and John Doe agree as follows: That they’ve been and plan to continue living together as two free, independent beings and that neither has ever intended to enter into any form of marriage, common law or otherwise.” (same source as above)

The movie's dialogues were written well. Darin Brooks was able to execute his line well, in a witty manner.

There were some inconsistencies we noticed, but they were very, very minor.

I also did not catch on who the two kids Kevin babysitted were, but it was a fun scene. At first I thought they were Sally's kids, because they were mentioned before Sally and Jennifer discussed the four conditions(that she dropped them at day care), but they called her Sally.  I know some kids do that, but...

Oh, and the great and talented GEORGE WENDT is also here as The Mr. Wilson(Dennis the Menace) type neighbor of Jennifer and Kevin.  

What else?

Oh.  Is the movie predictable?  Yes and no. I won't expound because I already said a lot.

I like the story as a whole, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, I guess I better end this now.

Thanks for your time.