License to Wed - PG-13
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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that teen girls -- especially those who are fans of Mandy Moore or The Office star John Krasinski -- will be interested in this romantic comedy. Because the plot revolves around a wacky minister's intense premarital counseling course, there's lots of talk about sexuality, parenting, communicating, and intimacy, but it's all handled in a comedic manner. The reverend's "no sex before the honeymoon" rule is harmlessly discussed and tested in many scenes -- although safe sex isn't discussed specifically. Language is on the mild side but includes "s--t," and "ass." The minister is highly unorthodox and all-too-willing to intrude inappropriately (illegal surveillance, for example) on couples in his class.
Families can talk about how romantic comedies typically depict engaged couples and weddings. Is the depiction at all realistic? Do you think a realistic look at a wedding would be as funny? What do you think of Robin Williams' portrayal of a clergyman? Do you prefer him in comedies or dramas?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sandie Angulo Chen
Fans of The Office have known since the first season that John Krasinski -- who plays the lovable, always-shrugging Jim Halpert -- was destined for the big screen. Krasinski is the handsome, smart guy-next-door type who also boasts sharp comic chops. If he can refine his dramatic cred, too, he could be the next Jim Carrey or even Tom Hanks.
Unfortunately for Krasinski lovers, LICENSE TO WED is not the film that's going to catapult him to feature-film stardom. All it proves is that he can play the stereotypical straight man to Robin Williams' hyper, overly caffeinated brand of comedy.
Krasinski plays Ben, a Chicago twentysomething who's newly engaged to Sadie (Mandy Moore), his wealthy, type-A sweetheart. Although Ben would prefer a destination wedding in the Caribbean, Sadie's dream is to be married at her family's church, by their longtime minister, Reverend Frank (Williams). The catch? The good pastor requires that every couple he marries pass his ludicrously long and intrusive premarital counseling course.
The course's loopy group tests are predictable but funny, particularly those featuring a buffoonish groom-to-be played by fellow Office worker Brian Baumgartner. Other Office vets also pop up (no surprise, considering that director Ken Kwapis is one of the show's executive producers) in supporting roles -- like Mindy Kaling as the bossy wife of Ben's best friend and Angela Kinsey as the couple's wedding-ring jeweler.
Reverend Frank, meanwhile, resorts to illegal surveillance and help from his annoying young sidekick (Josh Flitter, who was just as obnoxious in Nancy Drew) to stalk Ben and Sadie (and presumably all his other couples) and slowly reveal their incompatibilities. It's ludicrous that any respectable clergyman would become a crazy voyeur before every wedding ceremony or that a bride would demand to stay in such an invasive course -- one that actually involves "creepy robot babies" that emit fake bodily fluids -- just to get married in her home church. But this isn't a comedy that thrives on realism.
Moore and Krasinski don't have much to do besides watch Williams riff. They're charming actors, so the romance is believable enough, but License to Wed is basically a fluffy piece of Robin Williams cake. If you enjoy his flavor of comedy, this is an amusing, light flick. But if you're sick of his manic antics, don't bother to RSVP.
Families who enjoy broad pre-wedding comedies will also like Meet the Parents and its sequel Meet the Fockers, as well as Williams' The Birdcage.
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Sexual ContentSadie and Ben make out in bed and are shown right before having sex (she starts to undress him). They kiss and fool around in several scenes but stop short of doing the deed -- as per the reverend's instructions. Ben says he wants to play "pickle me, tickle me." The reverend encourages Sadie and Ben to discuss their likes and dislikes "in bed" with him. Ben's best friend jokes about not "getting any" after you're married. Safe sex isn't addressed specifically. |
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ViolenceBen gets hit by a baseball while playing catch and ends up with a bloody nose. |
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Language"S--t," "ass," "jackass," "pissed," "hell," "dammit," etc. One phrase that sounds worse than it is: "What the flock!" |
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Social BehaviorSends the message that if you truly want to marry someone, you'll overcome all your differences (and skip premarital counseling with a crazy minister). Reverend Frank is a very unorthodox (and intrusive) man of the cloth, going so far as to conduct illegal surveillance on the couples in his class. |
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CommercialismSandals resort, 1-800-Flowers, Chicago Cubs, Dora the Explorer. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoCharacters (all of age) drink wine, beer, and champagne at bars and parties. |
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