Wedding Band
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Wedding Band is a broad, raunchy comedy modeled on movie hits like Wedding Crashers and The Hangover. Characters drink and carouse at weddings and bars; women are shown to be either horny bridesmaids or nagging wives; there are tons of jokes about breast implants and "balls." Sexual content is constant and women are often in bras and panties, but no nudity or simulated sex visible. If teens watch, parents might want to stay close at hand to counteract any irresponsible or misogynist messages.
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What's the Story?
The Seattle celebration scene has been good to the four members of Mother of the Bride, the wedding band at the center of WEDDING BAND. Raffish lead singer Tommy (Brian Austin Green), henpecked guitarist Eddie (Peter Cambor), man-boy drummer Barry (Derek Miller), and suave bassist Stevie (Harold Perrineau) have managed to carve out a comfortable niche for themselves, playing several weddings or bar mitzvahs each weekend. Still, what they really aspire to is a spot on the roster of upscale Rutherford Events, helmed by the formidable Roxie Rutherford (Melora Hardin). Without Rutherford on their side, Mother of the Bride is strictly small time. Can the band get Rutherford's attention and move up the ladder of success while still staying true to their dreams and each other?
Is It Any Good?
The four men in the Wedding Band are all man-children of a type that will seem all-too familiar to viewers. Brian Austin Green's Tommy is the big stud, Derek Miller does his best School of Rock-era Jack Black impression, Peter Cambor's Eddie is "whipped" by his demanding wife, who thinks he's taking his two kids to a Yo Gabba Gabba show instead of a gig. Only Harold Perrineau's character, a talented "African Canadian" bassist with a mysteriously successful background, is a non-trope. However, he's also given some of Wedding Band's ickiest business, as when he indicates a large woman at a wedding and says he doesn't want to bother being nice to "two tons of fun." The camera lingers on the large woman's face as she stuffs cake into it, and the soundtrack gives the viewer a hearty "Mmmm!" Sigh. Yes, fat people are funny. Very funny. 1978 called, it wants its insulting humor back.
Wedding Band went to the trouble of hiring a swell cast: Perrineau, Melora Hardin; even Brian Austin Green can land a joke and looks amazing (David Silver sure grew up tall!). Why then, didn't the producers get equally compelling writing for this fine cast? At one point, the band plays a bar mitzvah, and rigs the balloon drop to rain thousands of condoms on the head of the middle-school-aged party guests. It's not funny enough to let the viewer overlook the inappropriateness, nor fresh enough to shock the viewer into laughing. Can you yawn and be vaguely offended at the same time? You can if you watch Wedding Band.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Wedding Band is realistic or not. Do the characters look, act, and talk like real people? What aspects of the characters are exaggerated for comic effect? Did the exaggerations make you laugh?
Did a man or a woman conceive of and write Wedding Band? What makes you come to this conclusion? Can you always tell the difference between male and female writers by the style of what they write?
Wedding Band shows a lot of consequence-free sex taking place at weddings. Do you think this is realistic? Why would a television comedy want to show a lot of sex between strangers?
TV Details
- Premiere date: November 10, 2012
- Cast: Brian Austin Green, Derek Miller, Harold Perrineau, Peter Cambor
- Network: TBS
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Music and Sing-Along
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: February 25, 2022
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