Our Family Wedding (PG-13, 2010)

OUR FAMILY WEDDING is a film you want to like. The actors, notably Mencia and Anjelah Johnson as Lucia’s younger sister, Isabella, bring their A-game; the plot’s got loads of potential. And it lives up to some of its promise with moments steeped in authenticity, as when Lucia’s mother laments how she’s become nearly invisible to her well-meaning husband. The movie, in fact, deals with marital ennui with welcome compassion.

But its potential to offer more wit and insight is squelched by its reliance on stereotypes to get its point across. A typical exchange: Miguel and Brad get under each other’s skins by saying “bro” and “hombre” with disdain. And yes, there are jokes about whether Lucia's relatives understand English. Everyone behaves badly, and in broad, intolerant strokes. Surely, there must’ve been a subtler way to depict the anxieties that arise when two very different families are joined by marriage. Plus, are wayward animals a must now in comedies? A sexed-up goat makes an appearance to add some much-needed zaniness to the proceedings, but it’s no competition for The Hangover’s tiger.