To be perfectly honest, before viewing OUR FAMILY WEDDING, I had seriously low expectations for this film. To say that this movie surpassed my expectations would be overselling it, but I did walk away feeling pleasantly surprised that it was not the terrible fest I was anticipating.
In OUR FAMILY WEDDING, Lucia Ramirez (America Ferrera) and Marcus Boyd (Lance Gross) are in love and traveling to tell their families of their engagement and plans to be married in three weeks time prior to moving to Laos. The kicker? The dads, Brad Boyd (Academy Award winner, Forest Whitaker) and Miguel Ramirez (mediocre comedian, Carlos Mencia) met on the very day of the engagement announcement dinner when Miguel towed Brad’s luxury car – making it impossible for the two men to get along. How-oh-how will these two competitive men get through their differences without spoiling their child’s wedding? Predictable ‘hilarity’ ensues including a FATHER OF THE BRIDE bathroom moment, some random male bonding and an unnecessary goat scene.
Other than the feuding dads, there was a lot more heart to this film than what I was expecting, including some side stories that weren’t necessary but were enjoyable to watch. Those moments are what saved this movie from being a total mess. Forest Whitaker plays the smooth talking radio DJ with a complicated relationship with Regina King’s character, Angela (this is one of the unnecessary side stories mixed within this rom-com). His performance was a disappointment having last seen him in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND; I thought he could have done something more with the character but maybe the material was just so stale that there wasn’t much to work with? Regardless, I expected more from him. Carlos Mencia on the other hand, I expected nothing from so was semi-pleased with his so-so performance. His heart to heart moments were painful but nothing like the forced relationship between the main love-birds. The only time I saw a spark of romantic chemistry between Ferrera and Gross was at the very beginning of this film, and when she serenades him outside his house. Other than that, I didn’t have much of a reason to root for them as a couple and empathize with the plight of ‘their wedding, our marriage’.
Without a doubt, my favorite character throughout the movie was Lucia’s tomboyish sister, Isabella, played by Anjelah Johnson. I wanted more scenes with her in it, as she was the breath of fresh air this bland comedy needed. The banter and side comments she made about everyone and everything made me laugh out loud.
Although I have plenty to identify with in Rick Famuyiwa’s OUR FAMILY WEDDING, coming from a mixed cultural background (Paraguayan-American) and currently in the throes of planning a wedding, this movie didn’t really do much for me other than want to rewatch FATHER OF THE BRIDE and THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND.
Video: (2.35:1 Widescreen) If only the vibrant colors and sharp picture would make this movie better.
Audio: (5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio) Nice clear sound, great for the Mariachi band at the end.
Gag Reel (2:40): Made me want to gag.
Deleted Scenes (16:52): Out of the six I thought there would be one that could have made a positive impression on me. However, as that was not the case, I’m thankful that they opted to delete these scenes from the movie. Wish they would have deleted them as an extra feature. Remain deleted.
Extended Scenes ( 4:02): One extended scene featuring Carlos Mencia, the other featuring Forest Whitaker . Mencia’s extended scene made me laugh, but only because of his wife, Sonia, leaves him in jail to go shop.
‘Til Dads Do Us Part (15:02): Carlos Mencia, Forest Whitaker, Lance Gross, America Ferrera and director, Rick Famuyiwa talk about how fun it was to work on this film. They also discuss the various traditions from two cultures and how awesome an actor the goat is.
Theatrical Trailer
