In what was surely intended to be an astute observation on love being a complicated entity that doesn’t always make sense, Love, Wedding, Marriage only manages to draw attention to the poor performances of its less than talented leads, Mandy Moore and Kellan Lutz, and the miserable direction of Dermot Mulroney. It’s easy to tell, based on what shows up on the screen, that the script had some level of comedic promise, but Mulroney must have either quit after the first take on each scene or not had the budget to film more because the performances, of even some talented actors in cameo roles, are woefully below par. The major faults on these fronts distract from what the film is trying to do, but ultimately that’s fine because the schlocky story of three couples at different stages in their relationships never offers anything new while still managing to get bogged down in retreading the same old schtick.
Ava (Moore), a marriage counselor, and her vintner husband Charlie (Kellan Lutz) have just run into a snag in their own union, which happily coincides with the spat between Ava’s mother (Jane Seymour) and father (James Brolin). Adding another wrinkle, Charlie’s best friend (Michael Weston) has just had a shotgun wedding with a Polish woman in need of a green card. Together, the three couples experience different angles of a mature relationship and in the end love is put to the test. Love, Wedding, Marriage goes through all the basic “couple under duress” moments that a romantic comedy requires and never adds an innovative moment. It goes painfully by the numbers with two leads barely capable enough for supporting roles, and the only joy it offers is cameos from the likes of Christopher Lloyd and Alyson Hannigan.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Just a trailer for the film.
"Love, Wedding, Marriage" is on sale September 13, 2011 and is rated PG13. Comedy. Directed by Dermot Mulroney. Written by Anouska Chydzik, Caprice Crane. Starring Christopher Lloyd, James Brolin, Jane Seymour, Kellan Lutz, Mandy Moore, Michael Weston.
