Shotgun Wedding movie review: Jennifer Lopez lights up the screen alongside scene-stealing Jennifer Coolidge

It’s probably that Shotgun Marriage ceremony will even disappear from public consciousness inside per week of launch, however not like the disappointing Ticket to Paradise — a boring movie that didn’t carry off even with the mixed charisma of Julia Roberts and George Clooney — it a minimum of offers some enjoyable escapism for an hour-and-a-half. As a result of what else is a romantic comedy that takes place throughout a vacation spot marriage ceremony imagined to do?

Lopez and Josh Duhamel play Darcy and Tom, an older-than-usual couple (for a film like this) whose relationship feels lived-in from minute one. The is a welcome change from the norm, and the impact is sort of like watching a Spider-Man film with out being proven how Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider. We get a way of who these individuals are, and why they’ve made the choice to tie the knot with one another at this stage of their lives, maybe after having come near it with different folks previously. Darcy and Tom are joined on the fancy Bali marriage ceremony venue by their vibrant members of the family, together with his ditzy mom Carol (Jennifer Coolidge claiming yet one more paid trip in trade of getting cameras movie her on it), her billionaire father Robert (a half-bored Cheech Marin clearly lacking his buddy Tommy Chong), and her ex-fiance Sean (a bare-chested Lenny Kravitz giving concepts to Ranveer Singh on gown for Tuesdays).

However having a comparatively mature couple on the centre is just one of many two trump playing cards that the movie has up its sleeve. Shotgun Marriage ceremony flashes the opposite on the finish of the primary act, when it throws pirates into the image. You learn that proper; how Triangle of Disappointment of it. In contrast to that competition hit, nonetheless, Shotgun Marriage ceremony couldn’t be much less involved about addressing themes beneath its glamorous floor. Like a pageant queen introduced with the choice of brushing up on basic information or hitting the health club for a few extra hours, it chooses the latter. Not as a result of it’s simpler, however as a result of it has the self-awareness to know that it’s competing in a recognition contest and never Kaun Banega Crorepati.

Sustaining a degree of curiosity purely on the power of shenanigans is an artwork unto itself, and Shotgun Marriage ceremony, over the course of its fortunately forgiving run time, throws Darcy and Tom into a brand new mess each jiffy. And each time it senses your consideration waning, it summons Coolidge from no matter trance she’s in to ship a zinger or two.

There’s one thing to be stated concerning the energy of pure film stardom, particularly in an period the place the very idea is below menace. For all his appeal — and it’s appreciable — Duhamel was all the time going to be overshadowed by Lopez’s megawatt presence. She dictates the tempo of scenes, and as Darcy, will get a handful of wonderful moments during which she is allowed to flex her physicality along with her comedic chops.

Together with final yr’s The Misplaced Metropolis, Shotgun Marriage ceremony presents a brand new method ahead for a style that was believed to have died a noble demise earlier than being given the kiss of life by streaming. Combining rom-coms with motion is a enjoyable method of attracting various demographics, and differentiating films aimed toward millennials — reminiscent of this one — from the innocent hits directed at tweens. Shotgun Marriage ceremony isn’t one thing that you simply’d need to save the date for, nevertheless it’s definitely one thing that you simply’d really feel obligated to point out up for for outdated time’s sake.

Shotgun Marriage ceremony
Director – Jason Moore
Solid – Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Coolidge, Cheech Marin, D’Arcy Carden, Lenny Kravitz
Score – 3/5