Love, Weddings & Other Disasters

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Based on 24 reviews
Kids say
Based on 1 review
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Love, Weddings & Other Disasters
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Love, Weddings & Other Disasters is an intergenerational ensemble romantic comedy starring Diane Keaton, Jeremy Irons, and Maggie Grace. It highlights the irony of people who work tirelessly to put on the perfect romantic wedding but whose own love lives leave much to be desired. One of the main storylines follows a gambler and an exotic dancer who are forced together on a reality dating game show, where they're trying to win money to escape death and implied sex trafficking. (Ha ha?) The same show also features a Chuck Barris-type host who insults his contestants, particularly a little person who's the target of many cruel comments. Innuendo is notable in this plot thread, but the other storylines are fairly tame. Still, you can expect to hear strong language like "s--t" and "bitch," as well as "feck" (rather than "f--k"). Violence is minimal (punch to the face, physical fight, threats), but there's kissing and the implication of sex, as well as some skimpy clothing.
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What's the Story?
In LOVE, WEDDINGS & OTHER DISASTERS, an inexperienced wedding planner's (Maggie Grace) career is off to a rocky start when an error in judgment earns her the name "The Wedding Trasher." When she's hired as a last-minute replacement for a high-profile wedding, she has to pull out all the stops to recover her reputation -- including working with a famous and famously difficult caterer (Jeremy Irons), securing a band that doesn't do weddings (Diego Boneta and Jesse McCartney), and managing the groom's ne'er-do-well brother (Andy Goldenberg), who's currently a contestant on a trashy reality dating show. Also along for the ride is the caterer's blind date (Diane Keaton).
Is It Any Good?
Known for directing Adam Sandler movies, Dennis Dugan's feature writing debut delivers on its title: As a piece of filmmaking, it's a disaster. At the same time, it's a spectacle to behold for those, like Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans, who like to trash talk their way through a movie. Film students should view Love, Weddings, & Other Disasters as a cautionary tale: Dugan includes four storylines that have four entirely different tones. The first is a sugary Hallmark-style premise: Sweet, adorable wedding planner meets cute with a rocker. The writing is underwhelming, and the two lack chemistry, but it's nice enough. Storyline 2 is more intriguing, despite having roots in what feels like a bad joke: An uptight caterer is set up on a blind date where his date is actually blind. Surprisingly, this thread feels like it could go the distance against any Reese Witherspoon or Kate Hudson staple. Storyline 3 would have been a perfect fit for The Love Boat, back in the day: After a brief interaction, a Boston tour guide (Andrew "King Bach" Bachelor) falls for a woman with a glass slipper tattoo and searches the city to find his Cinderella. It's unoriginal, but YouTube star King Bach delivers the full Prince Charming. And then there's Storyline 4, a sloppy sketch comedy concept that doesn't even try to make sense: A gambler tries to pay off a significant debt by going on a dating reality show and is literally chained to his "match," an exotic dancer who is "in bed" (literally at times) with the Russian mob. This one is terribly written, acted, and executed.
This movie also offers a clear example of how great/charismatic actors can elevate a bad script into something watchable. Oscar winners Keaton and Irons are magical together. Despite their characters being put in asinine situations and 85 percent of the laughs being based on Keaton's blind character walking into things, the two pros totally sell it, leaving you wondering why the producers didn't step in and cut out all of the other stories. And King Bach oozes personality despite having to deliver awkward lines about Larry King's erection (seriously). But the stripper dating game brings down the entire production. Dugan himself plays the show's obnoxious and degrading host, who spews the lamest, most offensive jokes, including relentlessly ripping a little person for his stature. You also can't help but notice the movie's dated references (see Larry King reference) and verbage, like "amazeballs." That's because Dugan wrote the script in 2004, when this kind of comedy might have worked, and it appears he didn't bother to update it. While the actors bring the flowers and enhance the aroma, Dugan's lack of effort makes this a stinker.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea that "experts" in creating romantic perfection in others' lives aren't necessarily capable of doing that for themselves. Do you think this may be true for some people in real life? Do you think there's an air of that on social media, where some people present a life that looks better than the one they're actually living?
Discuss the difference in tone within the movie's different storylines. Do you think it's important for filmmakers to make movies that have one cohesive tone?
What different kinds of diversity are seen throughout the film? How do you feel about featuring someone from an underrepresented group, only to make their difference the target of the joke? Why is positive representation important?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 4, 2020
- On DVD or streaming: February 2, 2021
- Cast: Diane Keaton, Jeremy Irons, Maggie Grace
- Director: Dennis Dugan
- Studio: Saban Films
- Genre: Romance
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters
- Run time: 95 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: crude sexual material and some strong language
- Last updated: February 3, 2023
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