Shotgun Wedding (2023) Review | Jason’s Movie Blog

A “BULLET TO THE BRAIN”

ROMANTIC COMEDY FLOP

Within the realm of enchanting funnies undertakings, a momentous little little details details “particular corner” possesses been curated over days gone by multifarious decades in the form of stories of this style’s trial and also tone in drumming those eternal “rom com” sensations that enclose a wedding matrimony. Typically, wedding movies, much prefer enchanting funnies, are extravagant and also surreally possible in these “all-too-perfect” problems of marital occasions and also wedding ecstasies. While multifarious of productions in this style adhere to a monotonous story that are nicely too familiar, which are oftentimes “truly feel wondrous” plots and also subplots, yet still sticks around integral to the constructing blocks of a enchanting comical amenity, containing lessoned to be watched as nicely as suggestions to be rediscovered. From wedding outfits to routine session dinners, wedding themed rom coms poke fun at some of the opprobrious moments that lessee and also wedding members encounter as nicely as tackling deeper problems, containing family members foibles, steady wedding optimisms, and also expurgating the bonds of couples as they search such monumental party. Such prime examples of this can be rediscovered in movies such as 1997’s My Greatest Mate’s Wedding party, 1999’s Runaway New bride, 2005’s Wedding party Date, 2008’s 27 Outfits, 2009’s New bride Battles, 2011’s Bridesmaids, and also 2018’s Crazy Well-off Asians just to moniker a few. Presently, Top Commemoration (Lionsgate) and also Amazon.com Prime Studios as nicely as director Jason Moore posture the newest spin on the eternal enchanting comical wedding property via the unleash of Shotgun Wedding party. Executes this newest endeavor of the wedding rom com smorgasbord spot comfortable within its familiarity or is it a superficial openings that ditches the bride / bridegroom at the recalibrate?

THE STORY

The big “wedding day” is almost upon saying couples Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and also Tom (Josh Duhamel), via the pair having a destination occasion in the Philippines, in reality yearning to reap the unique sights via family members and also playmates. As to be intended, discomfiture levels beginning to pinnacle once the lessee beginning to avail here, situating Robert (Cheech Martin) and also Renata (Sonia Braga), addressing on-going separation temper, while Tom’s mother, Carol, (Jennifer Coolidge), is too eager by all the travel and also wedding day parties. Also, sabotaging the case of subconscious is the accidental arrival of Darcy’s ex lover, Sean (Lenny Kravitz), a refined and also princely male who Tom isn’t comfortable being around. Once the discomfiture in between Tom and also Darcy takes off the day of the wedding, their unique problems via each opposite other are shortly overshadowed by the sudden arrival of pirates gazing to forcibly case a multi-million-dollar lot of money from Robert’s magnate empire. As outfitted enforcer to congregate up the attendees and also lessee and also beginning to arrange their management of their hostages, Darcy and also Tom manage to ensconced apart themselves from their captors, authority to establish a methodology to escape from pitfall, conserve the day, and also withhold in love as they negotiate a methodology to take out the invaders.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

As I’ve said in some of my past testimonials, I am a fan of the enchanting comical flicks. Of training course, they can be a little details details cheesy and also / or “too perfect” in its formulaic criteria of how things tinker out, containing familiar tropes and also adages, yet there’re quite enjoyable nevertheless and also still withhold the “sunny, fuzzy” sensation that you avail while tailing some familiar and also “truly feel wondrous” movie undertakings. It’s prefer convenience sustenance…. altogether nothing initial or brand name paddling steady, yet still is yummy and also deals a sense of convenience to consume. As said in my opening paragraph, the totality “wedding angle” can oftentimes tinker a discontinuity in the enchanting comical endeaovr….be it a smaller percent of the movie or (to this revisit’s time) be the main focus of the amenity. I surely can search through the charisma of it. Love is in the undertone, relationships are sampled, family members occasions are carried up, wacky / quirky side individualities from the bridal occasions underscore up, and also the actual wedding occasion. It’s almost prefer a subcategory of the enchanting comical and also ordinances as a sleek “bread and also butter” to the process for a familiar story that ordinances as “convenience sustenance”. Of training course, offered that I grew up in the late 90s and also early 00s (my adolescent / young adult years), I was unmasked to multifarious of these movies, which almost owned a heyday renaissance for these wedding rom com releases. Some of my favorites would most clearly have to be 27 Outfits, My Greatest Mate’s Wedding party, and also Wedding party Date, while Crazy Well-off Asians is arguably my favored one of the teams. In the expire, enchanting funnies and also wedding story filter of go “hand-in-hand”, via the pair integrating more oftentimes than not to make for a “perfect match” of matrimony pledges and also comedic / heartfelt moments.

This brings me ago to chatting around Shotgun Wedding party, a 2023 enchanting comical movie and also the newest production within this movie style. Before I dive into this percent, I will case the movie was highly launched ago in 2022 (launched theatrically in Singapore) for international territories, yet the aliment rights were bought by Amazon.com and also to launching on Amazon.com Prime Video clip at the expire of January 2023. So, I highly administered this movie in 2023 movie unleash style. Anyhow, I can’t recall hearing much around this particular movie once it was first decided. I assume it was at some time after I saw Marry Me (a 2022 movie that starred Jennifer Lopez), that I first heard some “details” around this movie, which owned Lopez in the lead and also would most clearly polymorphous against actor Josh Duhamel. After that, I in reality didn’t hear much around this saying openings. Flash onward to around December 2022 and also I began to search through a few TV place salable for Shotgun Wedding party, which kind of reminded me of Past Municipal, two leads nabbed up on a unexplained predicament and also need to job-related with each other to conserve the day. Most certainly not a “need to search through”, yet gazed quite perky from the camisole peek details that I saw. So, the movie was on list of flicks to search through in the 2023 releases. So, the movie was launched on Amazon.com Prime Video clip at the expire of January, and also I didn’t hear much around it, via just negative testimonials and also testimonies around the predict. This, of training course, didn’t bode nicely via me on supplying a “dexterous” motivation to stream the movie, especially offered that I was behind on my testimonials for 2022 (those that lingered from last year) as nicely as weighing more conducive releases in 2023. So, now via some unshackle time in my methodology, I ultimately decided to review out Shotgun Wedding party and also to search through if it was negative and also poor as a lot are supplying it out to be. As well as what did I predict it? Well, I’m sorry to case…. that the testimonials and also “word of mouth” around this movie are true. Regardless of a famous cast and also probably a wondrous production attribute, Shotgun Wedding party is a tragic and also slipshod enchanting comical flop that truly feels altogether half-baked all the methodology around. The prospective is surely there, yet it’s without stalemate squander by such a level and also topic to sabotaging misfire of an solutions / comical endeavor.

Shotgun Wedding party is funnelled by Jason Moore, whose previous directorial works have such flicks prefer Industry Faultless, Sis, and also Grip ago Tuned: The Flick. Positioned his familiarity via comical facets and also more laid-endorse undertakings, Moore brings out appear prefer the perfect recourse for helm a openings such as this. To his monetary debt, Moore of training course renders the movie light on its toes and also quickly introduces the story’s fulcra individualities throughout the opening sequence, which arranges all the opposite individualities and also players up for their initial on-monitor testimonials. It’s a rather wily methodology to administered the movie’s individualities and also the fulcra property of the story without acquiring in undue play muck up. From there, the movie brings out have a stable circulation within the first deportment, which (again) bunches everything up and also the fulcra story of the amenity. There’s most problems via this movie (more on that listed underneath), yet Moore realises how what his target reasonable is pregnant, and also kind-of-filter delivers that in enchanting comical that ordinances more prefer an solutions-comical endeavor; something indistinguishable to Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Wacky and also off-overcome problems shortly entail the barbecue of Darcy and also Tom as they need to spot out to job-related on their marital anguishes in days gone by the case “I implement”, yet first need to “conserve the day” rather than “Conserve the date”.

For its trial, I would most clearly case that this is probably the choicest repurchasing qualities that the movie possesses to offer. While it of training course is not a “game changer” in wedding themed enchanting comical productions, the visual history visual elegances for the amenity implement make a review throughout the entire amenity. Of training course, it filter of satisfies the arenae requirement for flicks of this caliber (doesn’t shade exterior the queues or reprieve the monetary college), yet some of the movie’s disruptions and also disruptions that aid administered the story’s unique hotel placement is quite magical to behold. Of training course, filming took discontinuity in the Dominican Republic, which of training course was valuable towards the in basic history charisma of the movie. Plus, most the movie’s opposite other nuances from its fulcra “behind the scenes” methodology players, containing Internet page Buckner (production decoration), Elvis Marinez (art direction), Tamar Barnoon, Braulio Gil, Yolanny Mendoza, and also Oliver Rivas Madera (kit panaches), and also Mitchell Travers (outfit models) were pretty wondrous for their amount contents in supplying Shotgun Wedding party’s trial convenient charisma and also likable to convenient at. The cinematography by Paul Deming is penalty. Nothing in reality to go crazed around, yet in addition not much nitpick over. Last yet not least, the movie’s rating, which was designed by Pinar Toprak, is in basic pretty wondrous. It’s not quite the “guiltless” movie soundtrack that I’ve heard (even from a enchanting comical endeavor), yet it of training course make usages the openings implemented and also hits all the relevant chits (overblown in its suspenseful moments and also tender in some of its dialogue dramatization). Thereby, it filter of violates even. Not infernal, yet altogether nothing in reality momentous.

However, Shotgun Wedding party possesses more goofing faults than successful strides, via the openings vexed via a layer of asepticism all the methodology around. How so? Well, for beginners, the movie itself is altogether bland and also common as they come. What implement I merciless by that? Well, it goes without aphorism the entire amenity is quite mundane and also bland (I will be aphorism “bland” a lot in this revisit as that what predominantly details this movie to the letter) and also it doesn’t aid that Moore and also his staff squanders the almost “tailor grossed” solutions-comical property within the placement of a enchanting comical framing. Who is surely one of the fulcra crooks of this is rediscovered in the designing for Shotgun Wedding party, which was penned by Mark Hammer. The manuscript for the movie is rather corny and also predictable from the avail-go, so all the wily “twists and also revolves” that are tossed into the mix are comfortably telegramed in days gone by they take place and also expire up pretty “meh” once they implement take place. Mostly, everything around the manuscript is ripe via such formulation nuances and also unexciting web content that it renders the story being briefed rather uninteresting. The story of a pair retrieving married (on the day of) trying to conserve their wedding from mercenary pirates appears prefer a “proof conducive” property that could’ve (and also need to’ve) operated, especially via a director is familiar via comical undertakings and also a cast that is up to the job-related. Inevitably, though the manuscript is one of the movie’s monumental failures and also never ever in reality colors exterior the queues of being “threat-unshackle” endeavor by never ever going beyond the requirement monotonous for either a enchanting comical or an solutions-comical flick. The expire output is something that truly feels altogether confiscates form on its own qualities by loaning heavily on familiar tropes and also story prose that have been implemented to fatality and also implemented in much much better productions. In brief, there is no imaginative creativity in the story of Shotgun Wedding party and also the expire item plainly showcases that time.

Adding more insult to injury is the moderate reality that manuscript’s written dialogue is quite wooden and also corny. Of training course, I implement realise that the movie was trying to go for a more “laid-endorse” tone and also comical sediment within its story furtherance, yet what’s administered is just painfully traumatic and also just level all the methodology around. What’s even worse is the actual is the movie’s humor, which is just traumatic and also even flatter than the actual dialogue. The opposite joke and also gags that the movie presents are neither too dated to affix via steady audiences or just unfunny from the avail-go. So, it comes as no stagger that the humor’s intended target misses out on more than it lands, which theorizes that this movie is both a enchanting comical and also an solutions-comical endeavor, this perfectly poor and also a misfire on all contents.

From a director’s discontinuity, Moore of training course doesn’t aid matters in these criticisms as he renders the movie truly feel rather common and also helms the openings via a sense of “auto-pilot” sensation, which is never ever a wondrous thing. He renders for a engaging (semi at least) fun for the amenity to tinker around via, especially in how he disruptions a big focus on the stars and also starlet forced, yet the direction for the openings truly feels rather superficial and also unfurnished, never ever in reality staging or “going big” once the amenity seriously wants to. It in addition doesn’t aid that the solutions scenes that Moore stages truly feels dated and also conservative, which (again) doesn’t aid the amenity’s faults. In enhancement, the movie brings out grasp up against from “monotonous” contents, which is induced by unpleasant pacing problems that are littered throughout the entire movie’s runtime of 101 minutes (one hour and also forty-one minutes). What’s grossed even worse is that the movie predominantly loses steam midway via the trial, via Moore depending heavily on the claiming talent’s monitor comportment to lug the story. Since of this, the last half of Shotgun Wedding party is woefully monotonous and also unimpressive. There appears to be most improvising among the cast that doesn’t in reality go anywhere and also ends up inhibiting the openings. Also the pirates, the males behind hosting the wedding for ransom, are as vanilla as they come, via the “discovering” of the mastermind behind them is equally uninteresting, spearheading to a orgasm that’s improperly intended and also organized.

The cast in Shotgun Wedding party possesses some famous claiming talents forced on this openings, yet, regrettably, none are in reality up for the job-related in supplying these personality either their own or even momentous in the movie. Pioneering the price in amenity (and also headlining the movie) is singer / starlet Jennifer Lopez and also actor Josh Duhamel, who tinker shortly-to-be couples Darcy River and also Tom Fowler. Accredited for her semblances in The Wedding party Planner, Marry Me, and also Housekeeping in Manhattan, Lopez possesses almost prospered accustomed to being in a enchanting comical amenity movie for more than two decades, able to tinker the spearheading role that possesses wide extent of anguishes and also anguishes just need to thorough for “retrieving the male” in the expire. Prefer the style itself, it works and also Lopez is all the more competent of commercializing and also marketing that inkling in the individualities that she indicates. In Shotgun Wedding party, Lopez of training course possesses the relevant amount of monitor comportment to sheen as the fulcra lead for the movie, yet that’s pretty much it. The personality of Darcy is quite formulaic and also altogether nothing to go crazed around, via her story arc vexed via indistinguishable problems of parental anguishes, monetary anguishes, and also martial “cold feet”. While all of this is penalty and also nicely, what adheres to is a more haphazard perturb (as said above), via the manuscript going limp. Plus, Lopez herself can’t buttress the movie on her own, especially one that is improperly implemented as this one, Thereby, despite her attempts, Lopez’s Darcy comes off as a forgettable protagonist that never ever fully comes into her own.

Alike, Duhamel, who is realized for his semblances in Transformers, Threat-unshackle Place, and also With one voice My Offspring, doesn’t in reality have much to implement in the movie, via the exception of “jumping off” problems and also hunches from Lopez’s Darcy. It’s a undoing offered that there’s plainly something that the manuscript wants to case around his personality of Tom, yet appears to forgo it only for some leading “surface extent” personality tropes and also adages. It’s quite legible that the movie’s web cam (and also manuscript) possesses more attention in Lopez than Duhamel, who filter of is just there for the adventure. Of training course, the “ago and also forth” mild talk in between Darcy and also Tom is rather amusing, yet it ends up being unpleasant, especially offered that both Lopez and also Duhamel have minimal little details details chemistry via each opposite other. They are both wondrous-gazing (of training course) and also convenient wondrous paired up via each opposite other, yet altogether nothing more than that.

The fulcra sustaining individualities in the movie in addition loss brief on being initial, comical, and also momentous in the movie. Who predominantly fares the worst (in my opinion) is the personality of Carol Fowler, Tom’s mother, who is tinkered by starlet Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie and also The White Lotus). Coolidge as of training course “branded” herself, much prefer how starlet Melissa McCarthy possesses implemented, via most (if not all) her personality usefulness being quite indistinguishable to each opposite other…..a loud and also dim-witted lady architype that oftentimes factors out the famous for some kind of comedic levity in a scene. It surely matches Coolidge and also she’s grossed it her company to messing around such a personality in multifarious assignments. Singularly, in Shotgun Wedding party, that particular schtick is rather a groaner and also altogether negative. Dare as she could, Coolidge’s Carol is so eyeroll inducing personality that it ends up being so monotonous and also traumatic to watch. Over again, I have altogether nothing wrong via Coolidge as an starlet, yet the web content matched to her (and also a little details details of her capability) is downright unfunny and also borderline acquiring worse from beginning to wrapping up.

Behind her, comic actor Cheech Marin (Up in Smoke and also Tin Mug) and also starlet Sonia Braga (Dona Flor and also Her 2 Affiliates and also Moon Over Parador) tinker Robert Rivera and also Renata Ortiz, Darcy’s separated parents. Personally, I truly thumbed that there was altogether nothing wrong via the claiming from Marin and also Braga (both are respectable in their semblances, yet altogether nothing distinctly momentous), yet the manuscript renders them so bland and also uninteresting, which is quite a undoing. Last yet not least, of this organizing, singer / actor Lenny Kravitz (The Wishes Arcades and also The Butler) plays the personality of Sean Hawkins, a fashionable and also refined male who is in addition Darcy’s ex lover. Prefer the others, I have altogether nothing wrong via Kravitz’s capability, yet his personality of Sean is rather one-note and also (without sabotaging the story) modern technologies in a rather common methodology as the web content written for him truly feel half-baked.

The rest of the individualities, containing starlet Callie Hernandez (The Flight Bellhop and also La La Land) as Jamie Rivera, actor Desmin Borges (You’re the Worst and also Confidential Activity) as Ricky Silver, starlet D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place and also Barry) as Harriet, actor Steve Coulter (She-Hunk: Attorney at Law and also Oppenheimer) as Larry Fowler, starlet Melissa Seeker (Deep Space 69 and also X-rated Wednesday Addams) as Jeannie, actor Alberto Isaac (Family Law and also Crazy Ex-spouse-Partner) as Ace, and also Selena Tan (Imp Trader and also Crazy Well-off Asians) as Margy, tinker sustaining players in the movie. While their claiming talent is not carried into misgiving, it’s the utter wastage of those said talents that ends up being the fulcra crook. To be uncomplicated, no one in reality delivers negative claiming, yet these side individualities in the movie are quite cookie cutter and also common as they come; off-shoots of commonplace wedding participants and also staff adages.

FINAL THOUGHTS

On the day of their wedding, Dracy Rivera and also Tom Fowler need to evade and also outwit a band of mercenary pirates that are hosting their wedding lessee at ransom in the movie Shotgun Wedding party. Director Jason Moore newest movie confiscates a enchanting comical property and also cover it within an solutions-comical framing, which mixtures the two with each other for something that promises a lot, yet never ever delivers. While the movie’s visual trial is tenacious and also I prefer some of the cast forced, the movie itself endures significantly from a listed underneath merciless asepticism and also being too much on auto-pilot, containing negative direction, an phenomenal unimaginative and also bland manuscript, an unfunny and also corny jokes that worn’t go anywhere, a common story that’s altogether derivate, a wastage of the claiming talent, and also a lackluster individualities that in reality implement much beyond their stereotyped caricature wedding personas. Personally, I didn’t care for this movie at all. It was unevenly paced, languid, unfunny, lackluster, common, and also just a wastage of claiming talent forced. This is one of those movies that audios wondrous on document, yet comes off as improperly conceived in its implementation. The prospective is plainly there for a momentous enchanting comical amenity, yet everything around the openings is just formulaic and also bland as they come. Such a drag. Thereby, as one can predict, my reference for this is a difficult and also sour sampling “skip it” as there isn’t much steady or artistically implemented to be carried to the table that currently hasn’t been implemented by much much better wedding tropes in a “rom com” flick. Conserve your cash cash cash money (and also your time), you’ll thank me for it. As well as if you are a fan of J-Lo….just watch The Wedding party Planner or Marry Me. Trust fund me, you’ll avail much more oil mileage and also party from either of those two movies than you implement via this one. In the expire, while the enchanting comical property of weddings and also marital ecstasies will linger to be a story leading edge for the style, Shotgun Wedding party is a legible and also posture pointer that not all flicks are invented equally and also that this particular openings is a “bullet to the brain” bore.

1.4 Out of 5 (Skip It)

Launched On: January 27th, 2023

Mulled On: October 16th, 2023

Shotgun Wedding party is 101 minutes long and also is ranked R for language and also some physical violence / bloody images