The Big Wedding Review
Every once in a while a film comes along that leaves such an impact on you that you are unable to stop thinking about it for days on end and The Big Wedding is one such film. Unfortunately, the impact it left was one of sheer amazement that this complete shambles of a screenplay was ever adapted into a dull and mundane comedy when it should have been discarded long before production began.
The Big Wedding ‘s premise consists of a divorced couple’s adopted son’s Spanish birth mother attending his wedding under the pretence that his adoptive parents are still together, so as not to offend his religious birth mother, bit of a mouthful huh? Hilarity should then ensue as his adoptive parents rekindle their flame, his Spanish sister flirts with his adopted brother and Robert De Niro flirts with everyone. Only it’s not funny, and it all feels like the writers have tossed every wedding film ever made into a blender, taken the worst parts of each one, and combined them to create this turgid excuse of a celluloid marriage.
I have never seen such a great cast assembled for a script as weak as this and it baffles me to think that veteran actors such as Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton and Susan Sarandon were willing participants in this abysmal attempt at an ensemble comedy. Whilst their acting is adequate for the most part, it is sub-par compared to the majority of their filmography as the lifeless script fails to provide them with any dialogue worth repeating, and their characters are often left floundering with cringeworthy one-liner’s.
Occasional risque moments try to spice up the proceedings but are unlikely to induce laughter and instead leave the audience feeling awkward that these respected actors would stoop to being so vulgar. The overcrowded storyline attempts to address a number of character arcs which are included purely to provide comedic moments, but when the jokes fall flat the majority of these sub-plots are rendered pointless and have a tendency to drag.
It scares me to think that we live in a world where films as awful as this are made, and the inclusion of such a great cast just adds to the frustration that The Big Wedding fails to amount to anything. As much as I despise the majority of Adam Sandler’s work, I think I would rather watch five of his films one after another than sit through this atrocious attempt at comedy once again. I don’t think I have ever used this phrase to describe a film before but here is one that is genuinely deserving of the accolade – avoid at all costs.
Tom Bielby
Rating:15
Release Date: 29th May 2013 (UK)
Director: Justin Zackham
Cast: Robert De Niro, Katherine Heigl, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Susan Sarandon
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