The Wedding Planner

The Wedding Planner, romantic comedy, USA, 2001; D: Adam Shankman, S: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Justin Chambers, Bridgette Wilson

Mary is a wedding planner but doesn't have time for a love relationship herself ever since her boyfriend left her. She becomes a business partner in her agency while her father set her up a date with Massimo. One day, doctor Steve saves her life when a garbage container almost colided with her and asks her out for a dinner. But then Mary finds out he is the fiance of her new client Fran. Out of revenge, Mary continues seeing Massimo but decides to organize the wedding anyway. She decides to get married to Massimo, but then changes her mind. Steve leaves Fran and returns to Mary.

A very good box office result didn't result in a very good film in case of this light and simple romantic comedy for pure distraction purposes, where singer Jennifer Lopez again decided to try out her career as an actress. There are a few virtues here, like the opening that contains a long scene in which the heroine Mary is walking through the church where the wedding is set out, yet later on the story becomes routine and lifeless. For instance, the scene where a garbage container is heading towards Mary and she sees it, but doesn't move from the spot and risks her life to get her shoe from the road, is unconvicing and didn't use nothing to make the situation seems somehow humorous. Her assistant Penny is unbelievably kitschy and self-righteous character that smiles hysterically, the writing seems as if the author decided to save his best lines for some other film while the happy ending is again predictable. Still, it's mostly an acceptable, though watchable mainstream comedy with a good performance by Lopez.

Grade:+