The Big Wedding Review
RYAN: It’s the first romantic comedy of the year and has one of the greatest ensemble casts ever assembled. We have Robin WIlliams, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Robert DeNiro…
CARRIE: Amanda Seyfriend, Katherine Heigl…
RYAN: Topher Grace and Ben Barnes, who did not get top billing which is interesting?
CARRIE: Who is Ben Barnes?
RYAN: He was in one of my all-time favorite movies, Stardust, and he was Prince Caspian in the Narnia films.
CARRIE: Oh ok.
RYAN: You have to, have to, have to see Stardust. Anyway, Christine Ebersole is also in this. She’s known in the Broadway community. She won the Best Actress in a Musical Tony for Grey Gardens and I did a show with her when I was a kid so it was super cool to see her in this film playing an hilarious character named Muffin.
CARRIE: She was hysterical. That was such a funny storyline.
RYAN: The movie is all over the place, but not in a bad way. Thematically all about family and the different kinds of relationships – siblings, parents, marriage, in-laws, all of that – plots that all intersect because it’s one family and what I love most about it is that anyone who has experienced their own family drama, and who hasn’t… This is so relatable. When it rains it pours.
CARRIE: I definitely feel that all the drama in the different story lines were relatable. Everybody can identify with at least one of the characters. There was enough dysfunction to go around in this movie. That has to make it more broadly relatable than your typical rom com.
RYAN: I have a problem with most romantic comedies for just being so formulaic and predictable. This one is very different. It is slightly derivative of some other great movies, like The Birdcage, but it’s still totally fresh and just super hilarious.
CARRIE: I found the story line with Topher Grace to be predictable.
RYAN: True and also Katherine Heigl’s; but, the others were not and theirs were both still completely entertaining and fulfilling. And I just laughed out loud, like, heartily in this movie.
CARRIE: There were definitely some laugh out loud moments. I was cracking up!
RYAN: And there was drama but it was funny and so brilliantly written and then you add actors like Diana Keaton, Robert DeNiro and Susan Sarandon who can sell the eff out of those lines.
CARRIE: They’re just at the point in their careers where they can have fun in a movie like this. They’re so well respected and uber talented it was like recess for them.
RYAN: I liked the other elements like the house and the costumes really spoke to each character’s attitude.
CARRIE: And the tree.
RYAN: And the pugs. Amanda looked great.
CARRIE: She looked beautiful and was good in this. Everyone was good in this. I kind of wish that the two unknown actor’s in this – who played Ben Barnes’ mom and sister had bigger roles. They were very C level.
RYAN: They should have been famous actors too. But it kind of made sense that they were not since they played “foreigners.” The characters all treated them like foreigners so it may have added to that since they were unknown actors to the audience.
CARRIE: That’s true. I did really enjoy some of the story lines. They were mostly all funny through all the drama.
RYAN: There are quite a few surprises but they are all, like, revelations that make you laugh too. And keep your ears open for the C word in this movie, but it comes out in quite the comedic way, thus keeping the R rating. There’s a lot of language in this film.
CARRIE: Yeah but I didn’t find any of it offensive. It’s like being at a comedy club.
RYAN: I’ve been so disappointed by rom coms in the last few years. This is the best one to come out in two years, no question. The last one I liked was Crazy Stupid Love in 2011.
CARRIE: Was this so good because of the story or because of the cast?
RYAN: Both. I can’t imagine any other cast in these roles – the cast definitely heightened the experience. I mean, when did we last see Robin Williams in a movie
CARRIE: I know. And Robert DeNiro is always good.
RYAN: I liked everything about it. It’s just under 90 minutes, short and sweet. It’s a fun, good time at the theater with stellar performances from some of the best in the biz. This is the first rom com I can get behind in a long time.
