Shotgun Wedding movie review: Jennifer Lopez lights up this diverting, fun romcom
Shotgun Wedding Movie Review: There is a dearth of good romantic comedy movies these days. The genre flourished in the 1990s and early 2000s, but now? The concept of romance and romantic relationships – the honest, unadulterated kind – terrifies screenwriters, or more precisely, studios. Jennifer Lopez’s Shotgun Wedding, though released on streaming, is extremely rare. It’s a romcom in the classical sense. The genre is defined by improbable encounters, happy accidents, weird parents, straightforward, almost clichéd dialogue, and far-fetched plot developments. I don’t say all this to disparage the genre, because I love it. I’m just stating the obvious. For me, few things are as warm and comforting as a good romcom.
Speaking of being nice, is shotgun wedding appropriate? Read on. Directed by Jason Moore, JLo plays Darcy, a woman who wants a peaceful marriage. But her beau Tom (Josh Duhamel), in his good intentions, imposes a destination wedding on her instead, trying to make the union extra special and obsessing over the little details. There’s a funny scene when an underwear-clad Darcy tries to seduce Tom, who succumbs to his charms but remembers a piece of decor he forgot to put on.
There is tension between the family members of both. Sonia Braga, Darcy’s mother, is a bit distraught when her ex-husband and Darcy’s father (Cheech Marin) brings his young and dashing girlfriend, D’Arcy Gordon, to the party. Or she hides her true, primal feelings under a tough exterior. The brilliant Jennifer Coolidge, enjoying a renaissance in her career, writes Tom’s mother. Her character is basically Tanya from The White Lotus, with the same casually rude attitude about what others have to say. A lover of tradition, she forbids him from sleeping with his wife on their wedding day.
But it’s Sean (Lenni Kravitz), who was once engaged to Darcy, who really wields the spanner in the works. The man now works for Darcy’s father, who has forced him to come to the wedding, forcing him to send an invitation to his daughter. Sean is a charming man who charms everyone with his charm. Apparently, her presence disturbs Tom, who suddenly suffers from low self-worth and insecurity.
Lo and behold, Darcy and Tom get into an argument and they want to stop the whole thing. Due to their solitary nature, they are blissfully unaware that local pirates have taken guests hostage and invaded the event. From that point on, the film descends into full-on action, tinged with humor as the couple flees from pirates and tries to find a way to save their families.
It is an attractive system. For most of its runtime, Shotgun Wedding is a diverting enough romcom. It’s nowhere near the best the genre has to offer, but it’s not half bad either. There’s something about the pop star’s presence that makes every film she stars in watchable. JL is not even a great actor. What she has in abundance is magnetism, and here, she exudes enough charisma to light up the film. Duhamel is capable, but can’t be trusted to match the leading lady’s screen presence. At one point, Ryan Reynolds was considered for the role. Sigh
The action is predictable, improbable…and actually quite funny. However, for this type of movie, there is a lot of violence and gore in the film. So keep this movie away from youngsters.
There are the usual romcom tropes here, and if you’re one of those people who enjoys the realism in their movies…look out the window. I kid, but movies like Shotgun Wedding are totally escapist. If you analyze the probability of this or that stunt or that chance encounter, you will destroy the fun you are going to get from this film. I think the trailer alone should be enough for you to decide if this story is for you or not.
What I mean is, unless you hate romcoms, Shotgun Wedding is loud and you don’t care about all the ridiculous things about the plot. You have to admire Moore’s chutzpah in directing Mark Hammer’s screenplay. Note that the spelling is not correct
