By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
I was lured by the trailers for
"Shotgun Wedding," the new rom-com/actioner from director Jason Moore ("Tales of the City") which stars
Jennifer Lopez, Upcoming, "The Mother") and
Josh Duhamel (TV's "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers").
"Shotgun Wedding" is everything I expected. It's predictable, silly, raunchy and at times rather funny.
In the movie, Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (Duhamel) are ready to make the big leap and get married. They've planned everything to near perfection and decide to have their wedding at the tropical Mahal Island Resort in the Philippines with their family and friends.
Both of them are nervous. Much of their angst begins to spill over as the big day approaches. They're having difficulty communicating with each other and Darcy is concerned about her relationship with her rich, ex-boyfriend Sean (an oddly funny Lenny Kravitz) who plans to attend the wedding thanks to Darcy's dad (Cheech Marin, "Angry Neighbors").
Even more pressing for Darcy is that her seductiveness in the bedroom isn't phasing Tom one bit. At the moment, he's more set on ensuring every little thing at the wedding runs smoothly. He'll take care of Darcy later. Or so he thinks.
They also need to worry about their parents. Darcy's dad, Robert (Marin) and mother Renata (Sonia Braga, "Fatima") and Tom's mother and father Carol and Larry (Jennifer Coolidge, TV's "The White Lotus") and Steven Coulter (TV's "Atlanta"). They are a real handful.
It doesn't take long before Darcy and Tom are having petty arguments about the wedding and then get cold feet. Just as they about to call the wedding off, their day takes one hell of a turn when a group of heavily-armed masked pirates storm the wedding facility and takes everyone hostage.
"Shotgun Wedding" arrives on the heels of last year's hit rom com, "Ticket to Paradise." Unlike it, this movie turns into a pure action shoot-em-up with Darcy and Tom forced to put their differences aside and take down the bad guys with a host of things including an old knife.
It’s a lively romp and is at its best when Darcy and Tom are put in bizarre situations like ziplining their way to safety and when Carol (Coolidge) and the rest of the gang get tough and do their best to save the day.
I wouldn't call it a complete blast, but for a mindless comedy, "Shotgun Wedding" works better than you'd expect, largely because of the onscreen, goofy chemistry that Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel exude.
“Shotgun Wedding” debuts on Prime Video on Jan. 27.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Look At This Trailer For
"SHOTGUN WEDDING"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
