When I watched Love, Weddings, & Other Disasters, written and directed by a comedic legend (in my eyes), Dennis Dugan, I was surprised. I thought it would be a typical rom-com movie that anyone could have guessed what the film would be about, but I shouldn’t have been surprised as it came from Dugan, for crying out loud. If you’re a romance and comedy lover like me and continue to want to watch them but want something a little bit different, this is the movie for you, and if you are not well, keep on reading. I want to change your mind.
Love, Weddings & Other Disasters weave several plots together with a couple’s imminent wedding as the backdrop. It follows the quest for love by a lively cast of characters including an amateur wedding planner (Maggie Grace) nicknamed “The Wedding Trasher,” an enigmatic celebrity caterer (Jeremy Irons); his blind date (Diane Keaton); and a tour-bus guide (Andrew Bachelor) searching for his Cinderella. I think what is great about romance movies is the added comedic part and, of course, the fantastic cast because a cast can make all the difference in any film. To me, most if not all, rom-coms are cheesy, and the humor is a little dry, or I don’t get the jokes; it is not my cup of tea. Love, Weddings, & Other Disasters was everything I wanted in a rom-com. It was hilarious, awkwardly cringy, a wild ride, surprising, and above all, I got some of the jokes. I love it when that happens.
The cast made this movie worth watching. Any film with Keaton is a score; she plays a clumsy blind woman (not sure if it was for humorous effect) named Sara. Grace is at the top of her game (I think she should make more comedy movies), who plays Jessie, aka The Wedding Trasher, and Irons, who plays a grumpy, strict celebrity wedding caterer Lawrence Phillips. Not a movie I would have thought Irons to be in, but I was pleasantly surprised. He aced this role and made me think he can be in no lousy movie. Bachelor also stars in the film; I think he so funny that his character was a pleasure to watch when he popped up. He plays Captain Ritchie, who gives tours on a bus shaped like a boat, don’t worry, it is FDA approved, whatever that means (Do you get it? No? Oh, watch the movie). Dugan brings in an A-list cast but was a little disappointed that Adam Sandler didn’t make a surprise appearance because they worked on a lot of movies together like Happy Gilmore (one of my favorites).
Dugan brings his humor style into the film that I should have expected from him yet caught by surprise because it was a rom-com. Despite being great at making and writing comedy movies, he lacked at creating romance but thankful that he succeeded in making me feel hopeful. His jokes take a particular taste that some will either be all for it or like me all for clean humor (I still watch, I just don’t get a lot of the dirty jokes). I shouldn’t have expected anything else because what is a Dugan film without dirty jokes? He starred in the movie and played a reality game show host Eddie Stone for Crash Couples on TBS (not a real show, I checked). His directing and writing capabilities are always fun, and I’m never disappointed.
I like how he went with multiple stories interconnecting in a wild ride, searching for love in crazy ways. I am not the biggest fan of that kind of storyline because I can’t connect with the characters or see many character growths. The only character that I felt grew and changed was Iron’s character, Lawrence. Each storyline flows well together into the next scene, it gave me the idea that there was more than one storyline, so I did worry about the film. Films with more than two storylines can get tricky and a little confusing, but it can make an enjoyable movie to watch with the right editing. There have been so many movies that I just gave up watching because I was so confused about what was happening that there wasn’t any point for me to keep watching. I also believe that all comedy or rom-coms need some action sequences in the beginning because the best comedy comes from disasters or failures (don’t deny it). It sets up the entire movie atmosphere, and I couldn’t wait for more disasters to happen, and I’m not disappointed, that’s for sure. The storylines wrapped up nicely that I was happy with it, but it did feel like the ending was a little up in the air. The characters could have had a better finish, and so I wouldn’t have minded if the movie went a little bit longer, but it’s not bad of an ending.
I enjoyed it very much so, the surprise appearances from Elle King, who played a street singer named Jordan, and Jesse McCartney, who played in a band with Diego Boneta’s character Mack called Lenny. Their characters were woven well in the movie, and I am happily surprised they weren’t just in a little scene that you have to look hard to spot or only in one scene in the entire movie. I bonded with these characters, and I wanted more for them. I couldn’t help but ask are they going to find love in this crazy movie too? As minor characters in the film, I was happy with their end.
Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars
Love, Weddings, & Other Disasters is a funny film that had me laughing out loud hard, and that is hard to do; it takes me a while before I get the humor behind a joke or even satire. I think this movie will make many people laugh and, most of all give hope that if we can just get a little crazy, any of us can find the love that we are looking for if we truly want it. If you are mad for some loving and don’t want to feel like you are crazy, then this is the movie for you, but if you are not, I hoped I changed your mind to want to watch the film and want to become a little bit crazy in your journey to find love. There are worst ways to find love, like stalking or, you know, the usual case of not getting over an ex. I’m just saying.
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