The typical predictable structure within a rom-com will usually provide me with a feeling of comfort and security.
When I am feeling stressed and need a movie to help me wind down, my go-to comfort TV is almost always a rom-com-type hallmark movie. The night before my AP World History exam, I was exhausted, stressed, and needed to give my mind a break from studying, so I went on Netflix to find a movie to help settle my brain. The first thing to show up on the screen was the film Mother of the Bride, and after watching the trailer and seeing that it was a rom-com, I snuggled up in a blanket and began the movie—hoping for my stress to ease, unfortunately though, this was not the case.
The movie starts out fine, in typical hallmark-type fashion; a couple—RJ (Sean Teale) and Emma (Miranda Cosgrove)—get engaged in a fancy, over-the-top London restaurant. I was expecting a good movie after the normal beginning, but the movie only went downhill from there.
The acting of the main character, Emma, was absolutely horrible. She was super cringy, and overall, it felt like she was acting in a middle school play. The actress Brook Shields, playing Lana, did not do her character any justice and overall put a damper on the film. The acting of the other characters was fine, like Benjamin Bratt playing Will, but some of the lines felt unnecessary and did not contribute whatsoever to the plot line.
Speaking of the plot line, it was horrible. While it did follow the predictable rom-com formula, it felt too cringy and repetitive. Maybe it is because I watched a movie with almost the exact same storyline a few nights before, but I think that the acting combined with the unthoughtful dialogue made this film a flop.
Many jokes were made throughout the movie, but I did not find myself laughing at a single one of them. They all either fell short of being funny, have been used many times before, or simply were just not funny. The movie had the “rom” aspect, but it was done in a poor manner, and the “com” was seemingly nonexistent.
The film was only one hour and 28 minutes long, but it felt as if I had been watching it for hours on end. When I only had 13 minutes and 28 seconds left, I paused the movie hoping it was almost done, as I did not think I could take much more of the horrible content. 13 minutes is seemingly short, but after being tortured by this movie for too long, I did not think I would be able to finish it. After mustering my remaining mental strength, I made it through the rest of the movie, and when the credits finally rolled on the screen, I was incredibly relieved to be done.
Overall, this movie was a complete waste of an hour and a half of my life. If anyone is wondering if they should watch this movie, my answer is no: it will be a waste of your time.
