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Chris Messina, Jennifer Westfeldt, Frances Conroy, Fred Willard, Judith Light ... see more see more... , Robert Klein , Maddie Corman , Jason Alexander , David Margulies , Donna Murphy , Chris Parnell , Darrell Hammond , Kali Rocha , Peter Hirsch , Ilana Levine , Brad Bellamy , Marylouise Burke , Michael Patrick McGrath , Kevin Sussman , Matthew Del Negro

Love at first sight has some interesting repercussions a few months down the line in this offbeat romantic comedy. Ira Black (Chris Messina) is a wildly neurotic thirtysomething who can't get his life... read more read more... in gear -- the son of a pair of therapists, Arlene (Judith Light) and Seymour (Robert Klein), Ira still hasn't finished his grad school dissertation, he's been in therapy for 12 years, and can't bring himself to settle down with his longtime girlfriend Lea (Maddie Corman). When both Lea and his analyst inform Ira that they don't want to see him anymore, he decides he needs to make some changes. Ira joins a health club, where he meets Abby Willoughby (Jennifer Westfeldt), who is supposed to sell memberships to the gym but is much better at listening to people's problems. The two discover they have a strong and immediate rapport, and Ira asks Abby to marry him only a few hours later. Abby says yes, and soon the couple are wed. However, it isn't until after they've been married for a few weeks that Ira discovers Abby has been divorced twice already, and it makes him very uneasy about their relationship. Despite more therapy, Ira asks Abby for a divorce, and it sends shock waves through their families -- Arlene begins having an affair with Michael (Fred Willard), Abby's free-spirited father, while Seymour commiserates with Abby's mother Lynne (Frances Conroy), and eventually parents and children are all meeting together in group therapy for couples. Ira and Abby was written by leading lady Jennifer Westfeldt, who was also screenwriter and star for the independent hit Kissing Jessica Stein. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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60% liked it

2,729 ratings

Critics

69% liked it

42 critics

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Robert Cary

Release Date: June 23, 2006

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DVD Release Date: January 29, 2008

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Stats: 305 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (305)

  • hunterjt13
    June 1, 2011
    hunterjt13
    A couple quickly falls in love and marries, and then they have to deal with the ramifications.
    This film is remarkably uneven. It is often jaunty and farcical, but there are moments of true pathos that demand we take the action more seriously than we had been prepared for. Ther... read moree is also great truth in the moments when, for example, Seymour says, "It's impossible to ever truly know anybody." But immediately after we get a ridiculous scene involving everybody's therapists and people carrying on ad infinitum. The primary eponymous story offers some fairly charming moments, but the supporting stories often have little to do with the main action and only distract from the people we want to care about.
    The performances by Chris Messina and Jennifer Westfeldt (especially Westfeldt) often make their outlandish characters believable, and by the end of the film, I wished I knew them better and got to spend more time in their presence.
    Overall, there's a lot to like about Ira and Abby, but not much to like about Ira and Abby because the film as whole suffers from too much business and not enough substance.
  • jennifxu
    April 28, 2011
    jennifxu
    I'm at least glad to know that somebody is filling in for the psychoneurotic Jewish dilettante while Woody is off parading himself in Europe doing god-knows-what. This movie largely succeeds due to Jennifer Westfeldt, who plays Abby with such au naturale the role seems made for h... read moreer. The supporting Jewish cast feels like a return home to my favorite genre in the world, so much that I'm willing to forgive Chris Messina for being such a complete jerk.
  • gator681
    September 19, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Ira & Abby," Ira(Chris Messina) has spent the last six years of his life working on his doctoral dissertation on psychology.(Both of his parents(Robert Klein & Judith Light) are psychoanalysts.) After twelve years of therapy, his analyst can do nothing m... read moreore for him and is dumping him. Unable to make up his mind about lunch, Ira at least knows that he wants to be in better physical shape, so he wanders across to a gym and fills out a member application. 45 minutes later, he wants to leave but that is when Abby(Jennifer Westfeldt, who also wrote the screenplay) shows up to give him a tour. Six hours later, they are still together, so she does the sensible and responsible thing and proposes marriage...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"Ira & Abby" is a misguided and insipid romantic comedy that seeks to mine the material and chemistry that results from two polar opposites coming together but both lead characters are so unappealing and underwritten that it is impossible for any spark to occur. For example, if Abby whose main characteristic is that she is a good listener is this drawn to every man she meets, then why isn't she less lonely? However, there is some truth expressed late, especially on the subject of marriage and why it should it not be a decision made lightly. But basically the film is just content to take its shots at the psychoanalytical profession. Yes, we all need someone to talk to but there are also cases that definitely require a professional touch.[/font]
  • Fascade518
    July 17, 2011
    Fascade518
    Don't know how I missed or passed this one up..but it was simply hilarious. To me, Ira Black (Chris Messina) plays the part of the perfect neurotic "schlepper" in this movie.Ira was so bad in relationships that his own psychiatrist doesn't want to see him any more...after being... read more with him for 12 years! He advises Ira to go out and find himself. As Ira neglectfully does so and meets Abby (Jennifer Westfeldt who is a rare gem in this film!), at a gym. They meet and greet but Abby has some amazing plans to do more than meet him....introduce him to her parents.The two wind up getting married so early that the penalties for not waiting are huge. This turned out to be so radically whimsically funny that everybody winds up in therapy!!! Please see this classic hysterical romance!
  • xxdebxx
    December 7, 2010
    xxdebxx
    "This is a f^cking nightmare" Judith Light. Pretty much sums this movie up.

    At 33, Ira can't make up his mind about anything. He's has an on and off relationship with Lea (Maddie Corman) for nine years, he can't finish his doctoral dissertation to allow him to go into his pare... read morents' business, he can't decide what to order for lunch and he has been in therapy with the same shrink for 12 years. When his shrink tells him they need to end their therapy sessions because he is not getting better, he decides to join the gym but ends up waiting forever for the saleswoman, who turns out to be Abby. Of course, she's everything he's not: free spirited and perky, a woman who sees the world differently and impetuously proposes marriage and sex to him. A whirlwind courtship and marriage ensues but there are comic complications which include Abby's tangled romantic past and Ira's longtime ex-girlfriend and endless over-analyzing what the other does.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic
    Abby's parents, seemingly the happiest people on Earth, are played by Fred Willard and Frances Conroy. Ira's folks, both tightly wound analysts are played by Judith Light and Robert Klein.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic
    Major Spoiler :
    Ira & Abby hilariously climaxes with the three couples in group therapy with their respective shrinks (among them Jason Alexander) when the father of the bride embarks on an affair with the mother of the groom.
  • wbgoose13
    October 12, 2007
    wbgoose13
    A plethora of neuroses cannot replace legitimate humor or heart.
  • SunilJawahir
    September 10, 2009
    SunilJawahir
    I watch this now whenever I have a bad day because it cheers me up to no end. Abby perhaps outshines Sam from Garden State and I enjoy Ira's paranoia.
  • judithdesiderio
    August 16, 2009
    judithdesiderio
    One of my all time favorites! Other than slight over use of the f-word, its fabulous. The story is realistic and a great contrast to chic-flicks and fairy tales. Jennifer Westfeldt is an incredible writer. Judith Light and Robert Klein are especially well matched. The scene with ... read moreall of the therapists and analysts in a circle is absolute perfect meshuga.
  • gms1yygy
    May 22, 2008
    gms1yygy
    Love, marriage and neuroses in a "slightly subversive romantic comedy" with an amazing cast of characters (both the actors and the "interesting" people they portray).
  • Hamee
    February 5, 2008
    Hamee
    Pretty freakin' awesome in that everyone is insane way. The family is full of psychiatrists and they all go to a personal psychiatrist and in the very end all the happy family shrinks get together for a pow wow to help resolve problematic marriages. Not your typical chick flick b... read moreut I loved the quirkiness!!!

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Critic Reviews

Nell Minow
October 18, 2007
Nell Minow, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie benefits from an exceptionally strong line-up of supporting characters beautifully played by a top-notch cast.

Michael Phillips
October 18, 2007
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Ira & Abby has plenty of sharp details, mostly verbal, and it gives old pros and newer faces a chance to show off their poker-faced comic wiles. Full Review

Wesley Morris
October 12, 2007
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Ira & Abby is like its characters: nice with a lot of problems. Full Review

Roger Moore
October 11, 2007
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It's sunny, oh-so-New-York and ever-so cute, and Messina and Westfeldt, under-used actors, are equally beguiling. Full Review

David Wiegand
September 28, 2007
David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle

Ira & Abby is a comedy of errors that makes very few along the way. Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis
September 18, 2007
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

...Ira & Abby radiates a breathless charm, due in no small part to Ms. Westfeldt's sharp dialogue and engagingly unmannered performance. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
September 18, 2007
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

The nicest surprise of the week -- not just nice but amazing -- is a comedy called Ira and Abby. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
September 15, 2007
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

A formidable crowd-pleaser. Full Review

Jan Stuart
September 13, 2007
Jan Stuart, Newsday

This round-robin of marital malaise has more integrity than one might expect from its meet-cute beginnings. Full Review

Julia Wallace
September 11, 2007
Julia Wallace, Village Voice

Annie Hall called, and it wants its plot back. Full Review

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Ira and Abby Trivia

  • Ira & Abby How long had Ira and Abby known each other for when Abby suggested they get married?  Answer »
  • Ira & Abby How many ex husbands did Abby have, and not tell Ira about until after they were married?  Answer »
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