Predictable and cheesy - does what it says on the tin - worth a look (The Wedding Planner (DVD))

Member Name: emmajt81

Product:	The Wedding Planner (DVD)
Date:	27/08/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The spark between the leads is there, it's funny in places and good supporting cast

Disadvantages: Cheesy, the fake accents of some characters are awful!

Jennifer Lopez plays Mary - she's a wedding planner and as well as planning other people's lives plans her own meticulously as well. Her career is her main priority though which doesn't leave time for much else including friendships and relationships. Mary wants a big promotion and comes to an agreement with her boss that if this next account she takes on goes well, she will be made partner. The account is for the wedding of Fran (Bridget Wilson Sampras) and like Mary knows exactly what she wants and has it planned to the exact detail. But when Mary is crossing the road one afternoon she gets her shoe stuck in a grate and is nearly run over but is pushed out of the way by a doctor called Steve (Matthew McConaughey) and of course ends up falling for him.

The problem is that Steve is Frans fiancé and despite her feelings for him she must carry on planning their wedding. There's lots of other things distracting Mary from the job in hand too, such as her father trying to set her up with someone else.

The Wedding Planner does exactly what it says on the tin - it's a fluffy romantic comedy. No deep, meaningful story and nothing that will get you thinking. It's just a good escapism film from every day life. Jennifer Lopez is good in the film, and although it's probably one of her most popular films probably isn't her best performance to date. She plays the damsel in distress well though, as she does in a lot of her films, and romantic comedies are pretty much part of her staple Hollywood diet now. The romantic spark between Mary and Steve is believable too and perhaps you can relate somewhat to Steve, thinking he's found the person he wants to marry when the real love of his life comes crashing into his world when it's nearly too late.

Matthew McConaughey was born to play the leading romantic guy - he's handsome, yet believable as a real person in every role he plays. He delivers his lines well and quite uniquely and manages to get across his confused state of mind to the audience. Of course we also have Judy Greer who plays Mary's colleague and friend - and once again she is resorted to the 'best friend' role when really she is so much better than that. Judy Greer always gets the same roles in films, and you can see why when she plays them so well but it's just a shame she's overlooked for bigger parts. She does comedy and sarcasm very well as portrayed here.

The film has some funny moments although no necessarily laugh out loud more of an inward chuckle, and it's touching and romantic in places and also quite cheesy! All the makings of a good romantic comedy. The only let down for me really was the predictable ending (although well written) and the awful accents of Mary's father and the guy he was trying to set her up with. I think it was dome on purpose for comedy value but really it just made the film less believable. But the film has me entertained throughout and being a fan of romantic comedies and the leads in most films it was a film I wanted to see anyway regardless.

All in all I would say this is a good bet for a girly night in -it's never going to win any awards of course but it'll keep you entertained for an hour and a half. The DVD isn't much to shout about - a few deleted scenes, a trailer and one making of featurettes. To be honest I never buy DVDs for the extras anyway I buy them because I want to see the film or I'm already a fan of the film, so it made no difference to me. Prices vary of course but you pick this up from about a fiver in the usual online outlets.

Summary: Good family film for a night in - if you want a bit of romantic fluff here it is!