Movie Review: License to Wed

I really wanted to like this movie. A focused Robin Williams is a force to be reckoned with, John Krasinski is an up and coming star, and Mandy Moore is perfect in these light romantic comedy roles, the stars were there. Unfortunately, try as I did, I could not truly like this fitfully entertaining movie. On some level I actually do like it, but it is more for what was attempted in combination with a few moments throughout than for the entire piece as presented. License to Wed is a movie that tries, just not hard enough, the script fails to deliver while the performers do what they can. I really wanted to like it, I tried to like it, but just never rises above the mundane.

The story focuses on Ben Murphy (John Krasinski) and Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore), a young engaged couple getting ready for their big day. They meet with the Jones family reverend, Reverend Frank (Robin Williams), who can squeeze in the ceremony in a mere three weeks, but only if they pass his personally designed marriage prep course. This is the comedy setup and complete thrust of the film. It is a high concept that has potential, but its execution relies on simple gags that don't really mine the possibilities. I am not saying that it could be a life changing, classic film event, but it could certainly have been stronger than what is delivered.

The film opens by giving us the short version of the initial meeting and courtship of our two lovebirds. It is better than The Break-Up in that we actually get a little bit of them together leading up to the engagement, rather than the meeting, a series of photos, and right into the break-up. Anyway, no sooner have they become an engaged couple, they have to face off with Reverend Frank and his pre-marriage test, which grants him the right to not allow the union go forward if he does not believe they are ready and/or compatible.

License to Wed does not exist in the real world, nor does it even attempt to. Rather, screenwriters Kim Barker, Tim Rasmussen, and Vince DiMeglio have given us a script filled with characters that you may want to like, but you will also want to throttle them for some of the stupid things they do. It is one of those movies where a simple conversation between the betrothed would likely clear everything up, or at least dispense with so much of the heartbreak that occurs. Of course, if the logical were to happen there would not be much of a movie. At the very least, it would have been nice to have characters that are not so blind in their singular devotion.

Sadie does not display an ounce of reason throughout, rather she puts on the blinders and follows whatever Reverend Frank says, no matter how ridiculous. Take, for example, the car driving scene which requires her to be blindfolded while Ben guides her, what reasonable person would do this? Even in a light comedy this is a stretch. Ben, on the other hand, seems to dismiss everything out of hand, he does not come across as someone of faith, but still his actions disrespect the beliefs that Sadie appears to have. In short, while they may be superficially compatible, there are some dangerous undercurrents that would eventually tear the two apart.

Enter Reverend Frank. In reality, there do exist pre-marriage counseling, not to this extreme, but they are around, and they are around for a reason. What Frank is doing is working at pulling out those undercurrents that run through a couple, bring them out and make them deal with them before stepping into what may be a disaster of a marriage. Better to deal with the heartbreak know than down the line. This is not necessarily the case, it could also prove to show just how much they care for each other and make the bond of marriage that much stronger. So, as you can see, the concept is there, but the execution fails.

The characters are not drawn with any amount of depth. The only time that depth appears is when a character needs to dispense some "deep" revelation, that the audience already knows. Another place the film falters is in the inclusion of the nameless kid, the reverend in training played by Josh Flitter. The character was not necessary and just added that many more unfunny moments. It was a throwaway character that should have been deleted in the rewrite phase.

The performers tried their best with what they had. Robin Williams had a few funny moments, and he seemed to be more focused than usual, but the script just wasn't there to provide him with enough material. John Krasinski brought a different interpretation of his Jim character from The Office, and I liked him here, but again, the script fails to deliver. Finally, Mandy Moore is adorable, and is the perfect lead for this type of film, however, she did it better earlier this year with Because I Said So. There was some nice casting in the cameo appearances of Krasinski's Office co-stars, Brian Baumgartner, Mindy Kaling, and Angela Kinsey can all be found.

The movies failure goes back to the script, and the sitcom sensibilities of director Ken Kwapis. It felt like a half hour sitcom episode stretched out to feature length. The concept was there, but try as I did, I was never won over. I did have a few smiles, but they were few and far between.

Bottomline. It does bring up some interesting issues for engaged couples, as well as try to spotlight the communication that needs to occur. Still, when you are being told this by characters that are off in this fantasy land where no one seems to have a serious conversation, it is hard to take on any level. The cast is fine, but the rest needed to be cooked a little longer to prevent the mushy undefinable mass in the middle.

Not Recommended.