Ben Oliver

Banner image for The Wedding Date
film

The Wedding Date

I think I’d miss you even if we never met.
22 April 2023

A woman (Debra Messing) wants to impress her ex-fiancé at a wedding so hires a male escort (Dermot Mulroney) to pose as her boyfriend.

In 2005 this bargain bucket attempt at a Richard Curtis film would have been pulled apart. It’s not particularly funny, memorable or original. However, the current crop of Netflix rom-coms make it look like Citizen Kane. There are at least some jokes here, and some sort of drama unfolds that has some consequence to the character’s lives.

There’s a weird sex scene set to Maroon 5, and way too much Michael Bublé for any one film. Amy Adams is in it though and, as ever in films from this era, she steals the scene in a supporting role.

Interestingly enough, director Clare Kilner went on to direct three episodes of House of the Dragon which is basically the same thing but with swords.

Reply by email