Though all the hopeless romantics out there hoping to meet and fall in love with a male escort might disagree, The Wedding Date is a disappointment. What started as a nuanced and clever novel (Asking For Trouble by Elizabeth Young) has turned into an average chick flick. The entire plot and most of the best jokes are revealed in the trailer. Sadly, the best part of the movie is its short running time.
Though certain moments seem surprising and clever, these surprises end up being exactly what you'd expect from this kind of movie. The twists and turns ultimately wind up nowhere, and the ending leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination-it comes complete with "what happened next" subtitles. The few funny moments are eclipsed by the obligatory pseudo-dramatic elements of every wedding movie: best friends sleeping with sisters, a wedding toast that goes too far, and an altar scene that (surprise!) doesn't go exactly as planned. I almost walked out when it started raining during the emotional climax. The woman sitting next to me knew better: she walked out after the first five minutes.
So why one-and-a-half stars? Debra Messing is incredibly watchable; she gets one star alone. Her speech and movements are the only truly interesting parts of the movie. And a quarter of a star goes to both an unexpected but hilarious cum joke and to the line, "You're my half sister, but I whole love you." In the end, it's not worth ten bucks-Go watch an episode of Will and Grace instead.
