The Wedding Date

If you see a preview for The Wedding Date before you go see it, you understand what type of movie this is. It's a chick flick. It's a cute, mildly funny, sometimes sappy, story about a woman, Kat, played by Debra Messing, so wrecked from her last relationship that when she has to go to her sister's wedding where she knows that he ex will be she hires a male escort to go and make him jealous and her family get off her case. The escort, Nick, played by Dermot Mulroney, isn't your average Gigolo. No, he's what you would consider the cream of the crop, and he doesn't come cheap. A cute, non-threatening premise, for a genuinely cute, non-threatening, romantic comedy.

You can't go in expecting genius, because that's not what you'll get. The Wedding Date, however, is a glorious, indulgent movie that will leave you smiling. It's a movie for women, by a woman director, and it's really for any girl who ever wished she could have a happy ending like Cinderella. It's not all roses, of course, which keeps it interesting. It's all par for the course, however, when it comes to romantic comedies. Plus, the few glimpses of a bare-bottomed, Mulroney will keep you interested, too.

I ranked this movie an 8 out of 10. I wasn't comparing it to Gone with the Wind, or the Godfather. I was comparing it to other cute romantic comedies, and as far as they go, this was a good one.

Kat (Debra Messing), an airline executive, fears going alone to her snooty sister's wedding in London. This is especially so because her ex-fiancé will be there as well. Though young and beautiful, Kat nevertheless plunks down a cool $6,000 for a professional escort. In return, the gorgeous Nick (Dermot Mulroney) must play the role of her new and attentive boyfriend. Kat's sister, Amy, a la Monsoon Wedding, has planned her wedding extravaganza to last four days, complete with picnics, cricket, splashy parties and more. Can Kat and Nick pull it off? Do they have enough natural attraction for each other? And what about past loves? Messing and Mulroney make this film work, period. The script has some weaknesses and letdowns, but the darling duo rises above them. The nice scenery and costumes are also a bonus. There is a moment when Kat tells Nick he is worth every penny. The same could be said of the ticket price, as watching Debra and Dermot is very satisfying. Sometimes, the world just needs a silly love movie. What's wrong with that? I'd like to know.

I felt that the character and relationship development was lacking, making the ending not entirely convincing. Nick's perspective wasn't satisfyingly explored, we didn't really get his side of the story, and he seemed way more interesting than any of the other characters whose private affairs apparently deserved the screen time.

if you're going to see The Wedding Date, you probably have some idea of what the film is going to be like. it's not Shyamalan, right? of course the premise invites comparison to Pretty Woman, and sure, you may feel that you've met Messing's "insecure single woman" character a few hundred times before, perhaps on some popular sitcom.

but thankfully, all the actors seem well-suited to their roles and the action progresses quite smoothly, aided by a good helping of hysterical lines from the saucy best friend and sauced-up mother. this is definitely a fun one to see with friends, especially if you're tired of this year's pretentious and often wildly depressing Oscar fare.

My college newspaper called "The Wedding Date" a great movie, and I have to agree! I laughed, I cried, I identified with Debra Messing's Character. It is definitely on the list of my favorite movies right now. If you need a feel good love story that you AND a guy will like, this is definitely the movie for you. This movie did what "Love Actually" did for me- renewed my faith in the power of love! There is no part in the movie where you are in effect "bored", as the plot moves rather quickly. There aren't any unanswered questions by the end. There is character development, and you see that the characters (Messing especially) are not just one sided. The power of love is amazing...i do not want to spoil the ending, so that is all I will say! GO SEE THE MOVIE!