SHOTGUN WEDDING (2022)

Genre: Comedy/Action
Director: Jason Moore
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Coolidge, Josh Duhamel
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language & Violence)
Released By: Encore Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 28 December 2022

Synopsis: In Shotgun Wedding, Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) gather their lovable but very opinionated families for the ultimate destination wedding, just as the couple begin to get cold feet. And if that wasn't enough of a threat to the celebration, suddenly everyone's lives are in danger when the entire party is taken hostage. "'Til Death Do Us Part" takes on a whole new meaning in this hilarious, adrenaline-fueled adventure as Darcy and Tom must save their loved ones – if they don't kill each other first.

Movie Review:

Lest we forget that she was once the queen of rom-coms, Jennifer Lopez gave us a sweet Valentine’s Day trifle earlier this year that proved she had not lost her gift for the genre. As if we needed another reminder shortly after ‘Marry Me’, Lopez returns just 10 months later with yet another rom-com, which also sets the stage for her action drama on Netflix next summer. Oh yes, ‘Shotgun Wedding’ is both a rom-com and a thriller, a screwball action comedy if you would have it that pits Lopez and her on-screen fiancée played by Josh Duhamel against a band of pirates who hijack their destination wedding on a private island in the Philippines.

As convention would have it, perfect though they would eventually prove to be for each other, successful lawyer Darcy (Lopez) and former pro football player Tom (Duhamel) would have to endure a couple of last-minute obstacles over the course of the rehearsal dinner and on the wedding day itself. For one, there is the simmering animosity between Darcy’s divorced parents (Cheech Marin and Sonia Braga), especially since her dad Robert had brought along his girlfriend Harriet (D’Arcy Carden). There’s also how Robert had decided on his own accord to invite Darcy’s ex Sean (Lenny Kravitz), and makes no apologies letting everyone else know how he thinks Sean would be a better son-in-law than Tom.

Another parent making no apologies this weekend is Tom’s vivacious mother Carol (Jennifer Coolidge), who isn’t shy to impose her views on the couple of what a perfect wedding should be like, including forbidding that Tom and Darcy spend the night together on the eve of their wedding and insisting that Darcy wear the same wedding gown she did many years ago. And then of course, there is Sean, who likewise has no qualms making it known to Tom and Darcy’s wedding guests that he and Darcy almost got married many years ago in Bali, before Darcy decided to call off the engagement after getting cold feet.

It isn’t surprising that the confluence of these characters leaves Tom doubting himself, as well as the strength of his relationship with Darcy, and as Tom and Darcy try to sort out their issues before they say ‘I Do’ to each other, their wedding guests are suddenly attacked by a band of pirates looking to hold Robert ransom. Because Tom and Darcy are the only ones not held at gunpoint, they also become the ones responsible for the fates of their guests. Thus begins a series of misadventures for the couple, although it is hardly any surprise that they will come to realise just why they had wanted to spend their rest of their lives together in the first place.

There is nothing particularly inspired about first-time writer Mark Hammer’s script, which is content to be as pedestrian as it can be. Thankfully, Lopez and Duhamel are absolute pros, sending up not only their respective characters but also the chemistry between them. From ambushing an armed guard in the outdoor shower in their room, to escaping from a buggy driven by two guards, to ziplining halfway across the island, and finally to confronting the guards at the resort pool, Lopez and Duhamel go all out with their screwball antics, and the result is infectious to say the least.

To his credit too, director Jason Moore tries to make the best out of a thin script by keeping the proceedings tight and engaging. Moore knows that the film ultimately rests on the shoulders of his actors, and gives Lopez and Duhamel plenty of space to bicker, banter and ultimately kiss and make up. Moore also surrounds both actors with a strong supporting ensemble, including a delightfully unhinged Coolidge, a positively wacko Carden and our very own Selena Tan as one of the managers of the resort. Even if the film is after all a farce, it is nice to see that the actors determined to make it enjoyable.

As a rom-com, ‘Shotgun Wedding’ offers nothing new to the genre, even with its blend of action and thriller elements – blame that on the script, which frankly is as lazy as it gets. Still, there is still fun and hilarity to be had, thanks to the lively pair of Lopez and Duhamel and a game supporting cast. Even though there is hardly need for any reminder, Lopez’s latest reinforces her status once again as the queen of rom-coms; and for someone just two years shy of her mid-50s, that’s as fine an achievement as it gets.COMING SOON

Movie Rating:

(The story is as formulaic as it gets, but a delightful Jennifer Lopez and the screwball chemistry between Lopez and her co-star Josh Duhamel nonetheless make this rom-com a throwaway pleasure)

Review by Gabriel Chong