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The Big Wedding script failed talent
Movie Reviews
By Lynne Martin
A remake of a 2006 French film, THE BIG WEDDING (2013) starring Robert De Niro, Katherine Heigl, and Diane Keaton has been blessed with an all-star cast. However, many a curse has been known to follow a blessing, and this movie is no exception to that rule.
Desperate to help their adopted son impress his biological mother upon her arrival in America, De Niro and Keaton willingly overlook their 10 year divorce to present a loving and united front for their son’s upcoming nuptials. A wedding celebration that will flush out more than just family secrets—this day will either bind the family together or create a large enough rift so that no one will ever cross.
Watching De Niro, Keaton, and Susan Sarandon repeatedly pick at each other’s emotional wounds was such a horrible waste of talent; all three capable of so much more than the limited roles they were assigned. It was painful to bear witness as the veterans struggled to find a foothold, anything to anchor their emotionally explosive characters in a script that just didn’t have the weight to hold their calibre of talent.
Comedies should be funny and make you laugh. When a comedy tries to cram all the emotions of a drama into an hour and a half of slapstick, the audience ultimately spends their time scrambling to follow. Time that might be better spent playing—‘Where have we seen this performance before’? For example, Amanda Seyfried already played a nervous bride to warring parents in MAMA MIA, and Diane Keaton defined the role of a mature divorcee in SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE.
I predict THE BIG WEDDING will die a quick death at the theatre; its only salvation being the A-list ensemble cast that will entice rental fans. Directed by Justin Zackham, Rated R, 89 mins, Comedy, ** 2 stars out of 5.
Sad commentary on working class North America
THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (2013) starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, and Bradley Cooper is an emotionally wrought crime drama spanning two generations. Defined by its braided narrative, this movie follows the sins of two fathers as their choices transcend time to settle down on the shoulders of their teenage sons.
Travelling the state and performing at local fairs, a motorcycle stuntman is surprised to find that he’s fathered an infant son during the previous summer’s circuit. With few options to financially provide for his baby boy, Gosling tries his hand at robbing banks before fate introduces him to Cooper, an enterprising young cop. A rookie on the force himself, the new recruit begins to realize that his own world is also filled with corruption and criminal behavior.
Gosling’s ripped body and tatted muscles will set some hearts aflutter, but what you’ll remember long after you’ve left your seat is his desperation, his character’s deep-seated yearning to improve his lot in life without the necessary skills or the education to make any kind of meaningful change. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is a sad commentary on the fateful situation of many working class North Americans trapped in a low-income existence.
Enduring four-hour daily stints in the make-up chair, Gosling reportedly was not a fan of his own body art, calling his character’s face tattoo an embarrassment for a father figure. Unable to understand why anyone would mar their own face, he only sported the heavy black tattoos at the repeated insistence of the director. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, Rated R, 140 mins, Crime, Drama, **** 4 stars out of 5.
– Lynne Martin is an avid movie collector and a staunch supporter of sexual education. She currently resides in Alberta, Canada with her husband and their large extended family. For a complete list of her reviews and other works, or to leave a comment, please go to: www.lynnemartinbooks.com.
