Shotgun Wedding is meant to have broad appeal. It is a romantic comedy crossed with Die Hard, the kind of movie that fans of traditionally masculine or feminine genres are meant to enjoy. There is something inherently silly about this conceit, since there are plenty of men who have a soft spot for Nancy Meyers, along with women who think John Wick is badass, but I digress. The image of Jennifer Lopez brandishing a grenade in a torn wedding dress is meant to convey exactly what kind of movie this is meant to be. In terms of delivering the goods, it is an uneven success as an action film, and as a romantic comedy. The chemistry between Lopez and her co-star can be stilted, and director Jason Moore does not have a natural grasp of well-choreographed mayhem.
Lopez plays Darcy, who is on the cusp of marrying Tom (Josh Duhamel) at an island resort in the Philippines. It is jarring how screenwriter Mark Hammer leaves little room to develop their relationship, and instead plunges headlong into typical pre-wedding jitters. You know the type: in-laws are not getting along, every detail has to be perfect, all of which increase the potential for cold feet. Few of these characters develop distinct personalities, except for Tom’s mother, Carol (a scene-stealing Jennifer Coolidge), who tries to smother everyone with Midwest charm. When pirates take the guests hostage, the happy couple is nowhere to be found, since they’re having an argument that nearly leads to calling off the wedding. Left with no recourse but to save the hostages and themselves, Tom and Darcy rekindle their love by becoming unlikely heroes.
A sense of energy is what should buoy both action and romantic comedy. Characters speak and move at a quick clip, creating an inertia that smooths over any problems with the plot, thin characters, and so on. The trouble with Shotgun Wedding is it rarely approaches that level of energy, to the point where the creakiness of the whole endeavor is all too obvious. That is especially clear in the two places that matter most: Lopez and Duhamel have little chemistry, physical or otherwise, so their comic/dramatic scenes together amount to actors taking turns to speak. Then there is a squeamish problem with the action: Moore has no problem using a pirate’s death as a broad physical gag, except the business of getting there is perfunctory, absent of any suspense. The cumulative feeling is one of routine, as if no one has much investment in any outcome, to the film’s overall detriment.
When Shotgun Wedding does occasionally deliver the goods, it is through the supporting players. Aside from the aforementioned Coolidge, Lenny Kravitz is memorable as Sean, Darcy’s ex who is passive-aggressively undermining Tom at every turn. Another highlight is Ricky (Desmin Borges), Tom’s best friend who is a bumbling romantic that prefers women who intimidate him. All these characters might be fun in a more traditional comedy, one where personalities bristle without an assist from armed psychos. As for the hostage-takers, they are “othered” so glaringly that we never really see most of their faces, acting as literal faceless antagonists for Darcy and Tom to maim however they see fit. At least the villains in Plane, which was also set on an island in the Philippines, offered the characters some agency by suggesting the depths of their violence and corruption. Here, the bad the guys are almost cute.
Despite the absence of grittiness, which must be a necessity for this kind of genre hybrid, the film does its best to earn an R-rating. It is almost surprising Duhamel and Lopez drop more f-bombs than you typically hear for a cutesy romantic comedy. That turns out to be a deliberate choice, a kind of signal this is not a typical romcom entry. Unfortunately, that kind of daring stops at the language, as the film avoids violence and sex to a fault. I can imagine how Michael Bay might have treated the same material, going overboard with each sexy and violent flourish until the romcom reaches the maximalist possibility of broad entertainments. That version of Shotgun Wedding may not have been success, but it would have been memorable, which is more than one can say for this straight-to-streaming afterthought.
Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios
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