Missy (Amanda Seyfried) and Alejandro (Ben Barnes) are getting marry which brings the families of big characters together. Father Moinighan (Robin Williams) and Alejandro's birth mother from Columbia have a bad opinion about divorce. So long divorced couple Don (Robert De Niro) and Ellie (Diane Keaton) have to pretend to be married for the sake of their adopted son.
It's a wild chaos of swirling wacky characters. The movie starts off with Diane Keaton catching her ex Robert De Niro getting a bj from Susan Sarandon on the kitchen counter. And the movie is off to the races. I hate to complain about casting, but I'm sick and tired of Robin Williams playing another jokey priest. The cast of A-listers keeps stepping on each other. It's like the big personalities can't find their own niche in the movie. The movie constantly pounds away with the comedy, and it probably nails it once or twice. It's not enough to recommend.
The Big Wedding
2013
Action / Comedy / Drama / Romance
Plot summary
Don and Ellie were once married and have two children, Lyla and Jared. They adopt a boy from Colombia, Alejandro. Eventually they would divorce, Ellie would move away and Don would hook up with Bebe, Ellie's best friend. When Alejandro is about to get married, he informs Don and Ellie that he never told his natural mother who is so traditional that they got divorced. And she is coming for the wedding so he asks them if they can pretend to still be married. Don and Ellie reluctantly agree to it and Bebe moves out who is also upset that Don doesn't want to commit. Lyla who is married is going through a rough patch in her marriage. And Jared who hasn't had much luck with women finds himself attracted to Alejandro's extremely sensual sister, Nuria.
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
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Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Wild chaos of wacky A-listers
Bad farce
The Big Wedding is an adaptation of a French/Swiss film. However this American remake is a flat diabolical farce that trots a well worn road.
Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton star as Don and Ellie who are divorced. Their adoptive son Alejandro is from Columbia. He is getting married to Missy (Amanda Seyfried) whose father is an embezzler.
Alejandro has invited his birth mother and his real sister over from Columbia. She is a devout Catholic so Don and Ellie pretend to be married even though Don has been with some years living with Bebe (Susan Sarandon) who used to be best friends with Ellie.
Robin Williams plays a priest who is a recovering alcoholic just like Don. Their are subplots involving Don's other children, a son who is a virgin and is attracted with Alejandro's flirty biological sister from Columbia. Then there is Don's daughter who is pregnant but estranged from her husband.
As the wedding preparations take place a host of secrets are revealed about the various characters.
Given the cast involved, this is a blooming awful movie. It is not funny, it is not sexy, it is not even that well made. There is not much original about the film. It is another example of the US studio failing to grasp what made the continental comedy better.
Ana Ayora is easy on the eye though.
COULD WE PLEASE JUST SKIP TO THE HAPPY ENDING
The theme of this film is that "there are different kinds of love." Alejandro (Ben Barnes) was adopted from Colombia by Don (Robert De Niro) and Ellie (Diane Keaton). Alejandro is getting married to Missy (Amanda Seyfried) whose parents (David Rasche/Christine Ebersole) are embarrassingly white. Don is divorced and married his mistress Bebe (Susan Sarandon). After a decade his wife and ex-wife get along very well. Robin Williams plays the priest that will preside over the ceremony. There are also two siblings. Dr. Jared (Topher Grace) is a 29 year old virgin. Lyla (Katherine Heigl) just left her husband. Just about everyone in the group has a dirty little secret that comes into play, but for the most part doesn't mesh well.
If this wasn't enough, Alejandro's biological mother (Patricia Rae) is coming up from Colombia for the wedding. She is very Catholic and considers divorce a sin. She doesn't know Don and Ellie are divorced so they will pretend they aren't (yawn). She shows up with a daughter (Ana Ayora) who has designs for Jared.
The film has great stars and a great indie style plot and characters. The secrets make for a great story. However it didn't come together. The dialouge failed to create on screen chemistry. Too much of the film seemed fake, the characters never hooked you. The humor consisted of embarrassment more than anything. Attempts to make fun of the Catholic Church were weak. It would make for a decent one night rental, but not the heart warming indie keeper we love.
Parental Guide: F-bombs. Brief sex, brief nudity (Ana Ayora).