The Wedding Planner (2001) 1 star out of 4. Starring Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Justin Chambers, Judy Greer, Alex Rocco, Joanna Gleason and Charles Kimbrough. Music by Mervyn Warren. Writtrn by Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis. Directed by Adam Shankman. Rated PG-13.
While watching The Wedding Planner, I played a game called ìCount the Cliches.î
What are the rules? Simple. Just count characters or situations youíve seen in countless other movies. For example in The Wedding Planner we have:
1. The successful, single career woman who everyone thinks lives a glamorous life, but who goes home to a drab apartment, fixes a frozen meal and watches The Antiques Road Show.
2. The man-crazy, overly perky assistant who sees every single male as a potential match for her boss.
3. The meet-cute situation in which he and she come together, their eyes meet and sparks fly.
4. The old-world father ó hers ó who sees his daughter as a failure because sheís still single. You get the idea.
The Wedding Planner is a slick little trifle that is insipid, inoffensive, corny and unoriginal.
Itís a movie that wastes the talents of Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. It play more like a TV pilot than a feature film. Even the music gives off a sitcom-like aura. The only thing missing is a laugh track.
This film is so predictable that if you canít figure out what is going to happen 10 minutes before the event, you need a remedial course in Movie Watching 101.
Lopez plays Mary Fiore, the always-in-control A-list wedding planner of San Francisco who makes everyoneís most memorable day perfect and every brideís dream come true.
She has just landed the biggest account of her career ó the wedding of Fran Donnelly (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras), who is the daughter of a famed Internet tycoon. This prize means she rises to partner in her company.
But on this fateful day, Mary almost has a near-fatal collision with a runaway Dumpster. (Like I said, this is sitcom situationland.) She is rescued at the last minute by Dr. Steve Edison (McConaughey), a gorgeous-looking pediatrician.
After a quick checkup at the hospital, Maryís overly-eager assistant invites Dr. Steve to join the two women that night for a movie-in-the-park date. Of course when the doc shows up, Maryís assistant takes a powder, thus allowing the two to share a lovely evening.
But, guess what? Fran drops by Maryís office a day or two later to begin planning her wedding and drags her fiancé along. And you know who that is?
No need to go on. The rest of the plot falls into place as neatly as those big-piece puzzles you buy a pre-schooler.
The Wedding Planner is a chick flick, and a lame one at that. It offers nothing original. Even at about 100 minutes the movie seems to drag.
Lopez has some pleasant moments as the successful Cinderella looking for her Prince Charming, but McConaughey appears totally bored and seems to bring nothing to his character. He acts as if itís strictly a take-the-money-and-run gig for the young heartthrob.
The Wedding Planner is rated PG-13 for some silly reason, and I canít fathom why since the movie is so inoffensive and innocuous.
In the film, one of Maryís talents is predicting how long a marriage will last by noting the color of the brides maidsí gowns, the types of flowers selected and the title of the coupleís wedding song.
Too bad screenwriters Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis, along with director Adam Shankman, didnít have a Movie Planner advising them on this project. They may have left it at the altar.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on golafayette. Bloom's reviews also can be found on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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