Movie Review Shotgun Wedding (2022)
Shotgun Wedding , 2023.
Jason Moore is directing.
Starring Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Coolidge, Sonia Braga, Lenny Kravitz, D'Arcy Carden, Cheech Marin, Selena Tan, Desmin Borges, Alex Mallory Jr., Kali Hernandez, Steve Coulter, Melissa Hunter, Alberto Isaac. Voropoid Tautanon, Tarot Sam, Zachary Wood, Vladimir Acevedo, Poupong Koholrat, Asia Munma, Hector Anibal, Rey Raimundo, Yana Ramirez, Nicolette Carter, Maria del Mar Fernandez Gonzalez and Vlad Sosa.
SYNTAX :
Criminals have hijacked a couple's extravagant wedding. While rescuing their family, they rediscover why they fell in love in the first place.
It's a moment's relief that Shotgun Wedding looks more cartoonish than anything, considering a film about a couple getting married on a Philippine island under siege by armed pirates would seem offensive on paper to a number of people .
In 2023, it's incredibly tiring to watch an action movie like this that doesn't do anything to provide context and sound reasoning other than money for the evil aliens we're supposed to blow up and set on fire for 100 minutes. Still, if there's enough silly fun, it's forgivable for not taking the film seriously. But given that the marketing pitches make this film look like a newlyweds trying to survive a mass shooting (the title doesn't help), I'll admit I was prepared for the worst.
Instead, director Jason Moore (based on a screenplay by Mark Hammer) sticks to traditional rom-com clichés as Shotgun Wedding begins with a late-night rehearsal that explains that while Jennifer Lopez and Tom's Darcy are in love, Josh Duhamel has some love . Solving problems that find it difficult to communicate with each other.
Tom is so obsessed with the idea of the perfect wedding (a destination wedding that Darcy seems reluctant to accept, noting that he'd like to elope) that he's also concerned when Darcy poses seductively in the bedroom the night before the wedding . to boost morale. Darcy is wracked with marital doubts due to her previous relationship with wealthy ex-boyfriend Sean (Lenny Kravitz), while Tom tends to sabotage everything good in her life.
There are also brief appearances from the supporting cast of family and friends, from the quirky parents played by Jennifer Coolidge, the sister (Kelly Hernandez) who had a hand in The Godfather, to the newly divorced couples trying to settle down (Cheech Marin and Sonia Braga). . ), suggesting the wedding will be messy, with or without aggressive intruders and, of course, Darcy's ex-boyfriend barging in on the invitation.
Unfortunately, they don't have much to do as they soon find themselves in a mass hostage situation, although Jennifer Coolidge has such impeccable comedic timing that even with just a few minutes to show off her skills, she still shines. . She's a caring mother who worries about the wrong things at the wrong time, often interrupting with hilarious lines.
It's clear that the focus is on Darcy and Tom arguing and inventing absurd ways to get rid of the usual minions lurking around the corner who want to kidnap them. There's a clever grenade joke that's mildly amusing and a unique way to set someone on fire through teamwork, while Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel are charismatic and have enough chemistry to keep the proceedings going.
It's clear that Jason Moore and co. have put a lot of thought into creating entertaining sets that play with the wedding aspect and pre-nuptial themes, although nothing quite as cinematically memorable.
As an action comedy, Shotgun Wedding works, although the film has nothing special to offer, but stumbles when in the third act it starts to take the romantic part of the story too seriously. . It doesn't help that the villain pulling the strings is entirely predictable. Worse, they're boring characters with unconvincing motives that make it hard to fully immerse yourself in the chaos.
It's a shame the rest of the film isn't as inspiring as the fight scenes, but it's also fair to say that nobody comes here for the plot. Like a real shotgun, the fun here is fuzzy.
Flashing Myth Rating - Movie: ★★ / Movie: ★★★
Robert Koider is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics' Choice Association. He is also the editor of Flickering Myth. Stay tuned in for new reviews here, follow me on twitter or letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com.
