rating:
(out of
4 stars)Germany, United States; 2001
Directed by Adam Shankman; produced by Peter Abrams, Deborah Del Prete, Jennifer Gibgot, Robert L. Levy, Gigi Pritzker; written by Pamela Falk, Michael Ellis
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Lopez, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Justin Chambers, Judy Greer, Kevin Pollak, Fred Willard
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
Romantic comedies that have a wedding (or an almost-wedding) as the big pay
off are getting a little annoying. The good thing about it is that you can
feel good and happy in the end. 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' was a great
movie, 'My Best Friend's Wedding' did it pretty original, but 'The Wedding
Singer' (although that one was charming), 'Runaway Bride' and especially
'Forces of Nature' were not that much fun. And then we have 'The Wedding
Planner', a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez as a wedding planner.
From the opening sequence, a wedding where Maria the wedding planner (Lopez)
is still fixing things, you know how her life is, not as romantic as one of
the guests thinks, you know that her life will be better because of a guy,
you know that that guy is probably the groom from a wedding she will plan,
and you almost know for sure the movie ends with her wedding with that guy.
A movie like this must have some great touches or really funny jokes to save
it. Or it must go exactly the other way we are thinking. There is one thing
I mention above that is not going to happen...
After the wedding sequence we have a stupid scene where Maria's father has
found her a man she must marry. Of course that man is waiting in another
room, although it seemed they were playing scrabble for a while, and after
some remarks from the man Maria walks away. A lot had to happen to make me
like this movie, I was thinking to myself. Some good things happen, the
first in again a ridiculous scene. The guy enters the movie with saving
Maria's life. His name is Steve (Matthew McConaughey). Another good thing is
Maria's best friend Penny (Judy Greer).
On the same time Maria has the job of a lifetime. She has to plan the
wedding of Fran (Bridgette Wilson) and Eddie. When Maria is introduced to
Eddie he turns out to be Steve, Eddie is from his last name Edison, exactly
as we thought in the beginning of the movie. Around this point I was not
expecting it anymore so it was a small surprise, but only for the moment and
because I was not thinking about it anymore.
From here on we follow the stupid little things people do in romantic
comedies to make it longer and longer before getting together. 'The Wedding
Planner' does this without nice jokes, Jennifer Lopez who has her moments,
Matthew McConaughey who is not much more than alright, with the most
predictable story and a lot of stupid scenes. Of course I smiled in the end
because we saw two happy people, but directly after that I was thinking to
myself how bad this movie really is. Even in the feeling-happy-genre I would
not recommend this one.