After dating for four years, Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) are getting married. Tom always dreamed of giving Darcy a huge wedding and had enormous ideas with plenty of creativity and heart for the big day. The two end up agreeing to have their wedding in the Philippines with their families. As the film begins, we see Darcy and Tom’s wedding rehearsal the night before the official day. Instantly, we see many issues and problems surrounding their big day. Certain family members are interfering with the big plans, and some guests are bickering with one another. It also doesn’t help that Darcy’s ex-boyfriend, Sean (Lenny Kravitz), has decided to crash the wedding in style without even providing an RSVP. The pressure and frustration continue to mount, and Darcy and Tom begin to argue, even questioning their love for one another.
But disagreements and last-minute conflicts are the least of their worries. On their wedding day, a group of pirates stride onto the island, crashing their wedding before taking all of Darcy and Tom’s friends and family hostage. Only Darcy and Tom are lucky enough not to be captured by pirates and must now work together to stay alive while trying to rescue their family and friends. Perhaps, hopefully, somehow, the two will even manage to get married by the end of the day!
Shotgun Wedding is best described as a romantic comedy, aka Rom-com, and funnily enough, this is not the first time actress Jennifer Lopez has done a wedding film (Marry Me, The Wedding Planner etc.) Here, there are many familiar beats, especially when it comes to comedy and dialogue, with random one-liners and banter among the leading cast. Sure, there are some laughs to be had, primarily thanks to the side performance from the talented Jennifer Coolidge. However, as a comedy feature, Shotgun Wedding is a disaster, lacking solid gags and creativity. We watch our leads continually argue, debate, disagree and complain about past faults. Most importantly, we watch them make one poor choice after the next with predictable outcomes, the attempted comedy falling flat.
While I admire the plot, the pleasing concept, and the positive messages about marriage, this feels like a distracting mixture of Ticket to Paradise meets Die Hard with relatively poor CGI. The chemistry between the leads feels unfitting, and considering they are about to get married, they rarely act romantic. Even when Darcy makes an advance, Tom is in another world. Jennifer Lopez looks stunning as always but even when she’s been immersed in trouble and chaos, her face and hair never seem to reflect it. By contrast, Josh Duhamel looks like he’s been run over by a truck by the third act. Sadly, it’s another distraction and impossible not to point out. Fans of Lenny Kravitz will be deeply disappointed by the artist’s performance. His dialogue is badly spoken, and his attempts at seriousness or anger just don’t work well here.
Overall, when the TV repairman got married, the reception was excellent. Puns aside, those who seek a fun comedy, a chaotic wedding and family hassles will find a few chuckles here, but sadly it’s not because of the leads or the film’s creativity. Actress Jennifer Coolidge shines bright like a diamond, but sadly, the leads, Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel, lack chemistry and genuine romance. The film had poor CGI and a plot outline filled with painful attempts at comedy with many, many predictable scenes. This is a wedding invite I suggest you respond to with deep caution. Shotgun Wedding (2023) is Available on Amazon Prime Video from January 27th.
4.3/10
20th January 2023
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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