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A mish-mash of My Best Friend’s Wedding (funnily
enough starring this film’s token ‘hunk’ Dermot
Mulroney as well), Pretty Woman and anything else embossed
in the ever-redundant ‘opposites attract’ varnish
that sells like hot cakes these days, The Wedding Date
centres on a desperate young darling (Debra Messing, of “Will
and Grace” fame) who hires an escort (Dermot Mulroney
– yep the same dude who was the ugliest of the Young
Guns ensemble some fifteen years or so back) to tag along
with her to London, where her younger step-sister is getting
married.
The plan is for the unfeasibly perfect Nick to make Kate’s
British ex-boyfriend super jealous, but of course, the third
reel’s got a saw-that-coming-a-mile-away-twist in it’s
wing, with the escort actually falling for the woman who’s
paid him a sumly six grand to play bogus boyfriend.
Unlike the films that it’s trying to facsimile, Date
fails in several significant areas: Firstly, there’s
next to no chemistry between the leads. On their own, they’re
quite good and aptly cast, but together, they stir up less
heat than a half-empty lighter around a campfire.
The direction is rather sloppy. Scenes simply begin and end
with no connection, not to mention there’s a lack of
believability seething through the surface in anything that
occurs here (especially this apparent love that’s blossomed
between the twosome), and when the jokes on Messing’s
TV sitcom are funnier than the one’s you’ve paid
$7 to hear – you know a vital ingredient has been left
out of the DVD pudding.
On the other hand, there’s enough here to raise a smile,
needle the odd giggle and sustain interest – just a pity
there wasn’t a bit more meat on the bone.
DVD Extras
Extras on The Wedding Date DVD include eight deleted
scenes, a bit of a chinwag about Debra Messing – who
reflects on one of her most rotten wedding experiences, and
a commentary with both Messing and director Clare Kilner.
It, like the rest of the extras, is about as exciting as vacuuming
the leaves off the patio.
Conclusion: Movie 60% Extras: 35%
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