Shotgun Wedding was both exactly what I expected along with a few things I didn’t expect. It’s exactly what you think it’s going to be: a ridiculous action comedy that’s almost a misfire, but manages to stick the landing. It has a wild setup to the action that somehow works once it really gets going. The unexpected comes from switching up classic tropes that we’ve seen in previous wedding movies. It also features a cast that looks like it’s having a blast, especially Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, and scene stealing Jennifer Coolidge. While I might not have gone to see it in theaters, it’s definitely worth a watch from the comfort of your own home!
Shotgun Wedding Review
The setup to the film is simple: a destination wedding in the Philippines between Darcy Rivera (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom Fowler (Josh Duhamel). Their families don’t exactly get along, as to be expected from a wedding movie. However, instead of a bridezilla, we have a groomzilla in Tom. He has taken control of every aspect of the wedding and wants it to be big and perfect, while Darcy would have been happy with eloping. More drama ensues when Darcy’s ex, Sean Hawkins (Lenny Kravitz), shows up after being invited by her dad Robert (Cheech Marin). Once the wedding gets underway, everything turns to chaos when Darcy and Tom’s wedding is hijacked by pirates.
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Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel are both great and have terrific chemistry together. Josh Duhamel took over the role after Armie Hammer dropped out, and I honestly think it ended up being for the better. Duhamel has both the action and comedic chops for Tom, especially because he has to do the action like someone who hasn’t done action before. Lopez has the same chops as Duhamel and both of them play off of each other perfectly. I appreciated that they didn’t make Darcy a bridezilla; it was a nice change of pace having the groom being the one obsessed with making sure the wedding is absolutely perfect.
The supporting cast is great as well, especially Jennifer Coolidge as Carol Fowler, mother of the groom. I love that she’s been having a career resurgence, thanks in part to her award winning role on The White Lotus. I hope that momentum continues and we get more films with Coolidge; every line delivery is perfect and she’s hilarious. She also has great chemistry with Steve Coulter, who some might recognize from his recent work on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. He plays a very dry, quiet character as Larry Fowler and it pairs perfectly with how over the top Coolidge is.
Overall, I would recommend giving Shotgun Wedding a watch when it hits Prime Video next week. It takes a while to get going and has some predictable moments, but once the action starts it’s a very fun ride to the end. There’s a nice twist as well with the criminals that I didn’t expect but it worked! With a great cast, from Jennifer Lopez to Cheech Marin, it’s a fun date movie that I think general audiences will really enjoy and have a great time watching and singing along during the credits (trust me, the credits are very fun).
Rating: 6/10
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