Plot: What’s it about?
Ah…weddings. Fortunately (or unfortunately, whichever the case may be) I’ve not had the pleasure of being a part of one, well I’ve been in them but never the center of attention if you know what I mean. I suppose there’s a lot of tension associated with them, otherwise why would there by so many movies/books written about the sheer Hell that is getting married. Don’t let my jaded outlook on life deter any future lovebirds out there…really. What I mean to say is that it looks like the mere mention of the word “wedding” seems to send chills down anyone’s spine that’s ever been though one. The planning, the emotions and all the million little details in between must drive people insane. So insane that it apparently prompts a character like Kat (Debra Messing) to hire a date for her sister’s wedding and paying him $6000 for “Services Rendered”. Therein lays the plot to “The Wedding Planner”, a romantic comedy along the lines of “Pretty Woman” in that you can still fall in love with someone you pay for…or can you?
Kat (Debra Messing) has searched high and low for a date to her sister’s wedding in London. She’s found the man, paid him an ample amount of money for his time so they can give the impression that they’re not only dating – they’re in love. The usual things happen, much like in “Meet the Parents”, as the family is introduced to Nick (Dermot Mulroney) the two share their story of how they met and what lies ahead for the future. Naturally, the two start to get to know each other and start developing real feelings for each other, but with an unexpected turn of events, will things ever work out?
“The Wedding Planner” is your typical romantic comedy and it came out last Spring just in time for the wedding season (no doubt planned by the Marketing geniuses at Universal, no less). It opened to less-than-stellar reviews, but I found it fairly entertaining. I think Debra Messing is one of the more beautiful women out there, though I prefer her hair in her naturally curly “Will & Grace” style. At any rate, the movie has some pretty slow points and it falls into the predictable pratfalls that so many other romantic comedies seem to have in abundance. For a rainy day, this might be good as a rental. The extra features aren’t really enough to sell the disc, but Messing’s commentary track is fairly interesting to say the least. For this type of movie, I’d recommend “My Best Friend’s Wedding” coincidentally starring Mulroney.
Video: How does it look?
“The Wedding Date” has been issued by Universal in both widescreen and full-frame versions. The widescreen version was reviewed and the solid-looking 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is really hard to beat. The movie, new to DVD, has several bright spots to it, color-wise and other-wise. Fleshtones appear to be right on track and consistent and edge enhancement is barely existent. The movie seemed to possess a “sharpness” to the picture that we don’t see except in these new DVD’s. Quite frankly, the only thing that keeps this one from being perfect is some minor compression artifacts from time to time. A great transfer and truly representative of what Universal has consistently been putting out.
Audio: How does it sound?
On the other hand, the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is about average for a romantic comedy. If you really want to crank it up, then some of the soundtrack will fill the room and the speakers might even “bump” a bit; but for the most part the film is dialogue-driven. The surrounds do take charge during some scenes, but nothing that really makes one turn around and say “Wow” (not that we ever do turn around and say “Wow” when a movie sounds really good). The majority of the action takes place on the front speakers with the LFE kicking in from time to time. “The Wedding Date” carries a great and acceptable soundtrack that should please most every viewer.
Supplements: What are the extras?
“The Wedding Date” doesn’t really have a lot to offer in terms of supplements. The feature commentary with lead actress Debra Messing has its moments, but I found it a bit dull and dry. There are several spots in which she kind of just sits there and watches the movie herself. I think only the most hard core fan would want to give this a listen – as for me, it’s one I could have done without. There’s the obligatory featurette entitled “A Date with Debra” and several deleted scenes which were wisely left out of the movie. While “The Wedding Date” really didn’t disappoint, I just felt it too predictable (like most romantic comedies) and there are certainly others in the genre that will get the message across in a better manner than this.
