Love, Wedding, Marriage (2011)

Number Rolled: 4

Movie Name/Year: Love, Wedding, Marriage (2011)

Tagline: Here comes the ride.

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Length: 90 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: Chydzik Media Group, Voodoo Production Services, Scion Films, 120dB Films, First Wedding Productions

Producer: Jeff Abberley, Michael Arata, Sergei Bespalov, Julia Blackman, JC Cadena, Michelle Chydzik Sbwa, Natalia Chydzik, Jerry Daigle, Peter Graham, Joel Hatch, Stephen Hays, Stefan Jacobs, Daniel March, Nathalie Marciano, Vlad A. Osipov, Gary Raskin

Director: Dermot Mulroney

Writer: Anouska Chydzik, Caprice Crane

Actors: Mandy Moore, Kellan Lutz, James Brolin, Jane Seymour, Jessica Szohr, Michael Weston, Marta Zmuda Trzebiatowska, Richard Alan Reid, Christopher Lloyd, Alexis Denisof, Alyson Hannigan, Colleen Camp, Andrew Keegan, Gabrielle Shuff, Julia Roberts

Blurb from Netflix: When a marriage counselor learns that her parents are candidates for divorce, she throws all the rules out the window to repair their relationship.

Selina’s Point of View:

I was shocked to see that this film got a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Human Centipede (2010) got a fucking 49%, but THIS film got a 0%. Right. Ok.

WTF are critics smoking these days, and is it legal?

Love, Wedding, Marriage wasn’t the greatest movie in the world. No one is going to come out and say it was their favorite film ever, but it wasn’t THAT bad.

Sure, Mandy Moore’s (License to Wed, How to Deal, The Princess Diaries) portrayal of her insane character left a lot to be desired and Kellan Lutz (Experimenter, The Comeback, The Expendables 3) was as believable as the Easter Bunny dating the Tooth Fairy, but the story didn’t suck and neither did the script.

It was definitely a take on a recipe film, but it was an interesting take. It didn’t show us the wedding and the stuff leading up to it. Instead, it examined life for the couple after the wedding. That’s not a storyline often portrayed by romantic comedies. Most rom-com movies prefer to show the magic of falling in love, rather than the upkeep of the love that follows.

I didn’t hate the movie. Many of the actors were very good, and I had some theories about Michael Weston’s (See You in Valhalla, Wish I Was Here, Blink) character that brought the movie to a whole new level for me.

There was also a bit of a nostalgia factor for me when popular 80s/90s actors, like Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, Camp Nowhere, Angels in the Outfield) and Andrew Keegan (Camp Nowhere, Party of Five, 10 Things I Hate About You), popped up on my screen.

You may also note that Julia Roberts (Money Monster, Eat Pray Love, Mona Lisa Smile) was in this. I watched the whole thing and had no idea until I checked IMDB. The reason is because only her voice is featured in the film.

Cat’s Point of View:

I must admit that, at first, I wasn’t really looking forward to watching this movie. It wasn’t that I had any sort of bias against it – I really knew nothing about it. It was more that I just wasn’t in the mood for a rom-com.

Be that as it may, the dice had spoken!

The film was ok. It wasn’t spectacular, and I am doubting that it will be particularly memorable (except for a few shirtless Kellan Lutz [Accepted, Arena, Immortals] moments…maybe).

I’m not sure if the movie was more of a victim to its writing or the fact that it was the directorial debut for Dermot Mulroney (J. Edgar, Stoker, Dirty Grandpa). I’ve enjoyed him as an actor; though, he apparently has some work ahead of him to refine his craft behind the camera.

I think this film was also slightly mislabeled. The bulk of the substance of this movie was drama, rather than romance or comedy. Sure, there were some laughs. Most of my chuckles came from the character played by James Brolin (Burlesque, Elsa & Fred, The 33).

I realize that the best friend of Lutz’s character, played by Michael Weston (The Last Kiss, Pathology, Gamer), was also supposed to be a bit of comic relief. It failed to hit that mark entirely for me. The character made me face-palm, and provided some really awkward feeling moments – and then there’s this 180. He almost comes off as being malicious in a few places.

Mandy Moore’s (Because I said So, Tangled, Hotel Noir) character came across as manic, selfish, and oblivious – yet, that might be how the part was written. I haven’t found fault with her acting in the past – but a good bit of the movie felt a little forced.

Lutz deserves more than just a mention about his shirtless scenes, though. I find that he tends to be a little underestimated and underrated. Sure not all of his films have been winners, but he exudes this charm that makes him likable for more than his washboard abs – and he can flip it off like a switch to turn into something altogether menacing, if the role requires. I’m not sure that this movie did his career any favors, but I enjoyed his role in it.

I don’t know – part of my disconnect for this movie might have been that it’s very hard for me to see Jane Seymour (The Assistants, Freeloaders, Austenland) outside of the framework I originally ‘met’ her in. I was a die-hard fan of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993-1998), and she will forever be ‘Dr. Mike’ to me. I have to somewhat force myself into seeing her in a different light in more recent projects.

I also have to question the location choices for filming. I will be the first one to jump up and shout ‘woohoo’ when a movie gets shot here in Louisiana, as this one was. Though the plantation setting for the vineyard was gorgeous and did add a nice backdrop to the film, the movie’s dialogue seems to suggest that this is supposed to be set in California.

I’ve been to that area of California – it’s where my husband’s from and it is where most of his family resides. You don’t find architecture like that out there. There was also a distinct lack of mountainous terrain. I realize that this was filmed during a period of time that Louisiana was still offering big tax incentives, etc., to film here – but a believable setting is important in suspending disbelief.

I don’t know that I’ll be watching this one again, but I didn’t hate it. Before I started writing my review, I actually thought I liked it better than I apparently did. I think that this one’s better appreciated without too much thought.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 0%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 28%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 2/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 3.5/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3/5

P.S. Scenes/bloopers during the credits.

Movie Trailer: