THE BIG WEDDING (Justin Zackham). 88 minutes. Opens Friday (April 26). For venues and times, see listings. Rating: N
I object to The Big Wedding, a big fat farce that gives matrimonial movies a bad name.
Hailing from a subgenre that goes back as far as The Philadelphia Story and includes such recent greats as Rachel Getting Married, this ceremony presided over by the director of The Bucket List is more along the lines of Bride Wars.
Big names in the cast like Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton (resuming her duties from Father Of The Bride) and Amanda Seyfried (still in Mamma Mia! mode) choke on the broad comedy the script shoves down their throats. Gags about race, religion and sexual orientation that are meant to be edgy are just dull-witted. Katherine Heigl probably feels right at home, though.
De Niro and Keaton play a divorced couple brought back together for their adopted son’s wedding, where the guest list also includes Susan Sarandon as the other woman and Robin Williams as an over-the-top Catholic priest.
They bring lots of drama to the table, but it all veers between the absurd and the inconsequential. This is the kind of family that reacts to infidelity with the calm of a marriage counsellor instead of the fury of spurned lovers.
De Niro tries to bring genuine feeling to any scene that will allow it. Unfortunately, he’s struggling with comedy he can’t sell. No one could. When he says things like “poon job,” it hurts our ears and probably leaves a bad taste in his mouth.
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