REVIEW: ‘Mother of the Bride’ is More Than Just a Romantic Comedy
Netflix is back with its next romantic comedy, Mother of the Bride. Starring Brooke Shields, Miranda Cosgrove, Benjamin Bratt, and Sean Teale, the movie follows Lana (Shields) who’s daughter, Emma (Cosgrove) has just announced she is getting married to a man Lana has never met. When Emma reveals they are getting married in less than a month, Lana finds herself heading to Thailand to celebrate her daughter and her soon-to-be husband, RJ (Teale). When she arrives on the island, Lana comes face to face with her college ex-boyfriend, Will (Bratt), who happens to be the Father of the groom. As the wedding draws closer, tensions rise not only between Lana and Emma, but between Lana and Will as well.
Directed by Mark Waters, Mother of the Bride is so much more than a romantic comedy. It is not only a story about the re-merging love between Lana and Will, but the love between Lana and Emma. Writer Robin Bernheim, intertwines the two stories with ease until the very end. Shields and Bratt are fantastic alongside each other. The chemistry between Shields and Bratt builds so easily throughout the movie. Nothing seems forced or unnatural. Neither star is a newcomer to the romantic comedy world, and they continue to prove why they are two of the best to have graced the romantic comedy screen.
Cosgrove’s Emma may seem like a minor character in the movie, but she plays a major part in Lana’s story. Cosgrove is wonderful in this role. My only wish is that one day we get to see Cosgrove play the lead in a romantic comedy movie. Teale, unlike Cosgrove, is a minor character and plays a minor role in the story. However, his chemistry with Cosgrove helps drive the overall story forward and sheds a little light on Cosgrove’s somewhat neurotic Emma. Chad Michael Murray, Rachel Harris, Wilson Cruz, and Michael McDonald round out the cast, and could have used with a little more screen time, especially Cruz, Harris, and McDonald. Playing Lana and Will’s friends, this trio wasn’t utilized to their utmost potential. All three are funny alone, but when you add them together, the creative team could have had a comedic goldmine.
Mother of the Bride is everything you would want in a romantic comedy without the heavy reliance on the cheese factor. The cast is great and the story is rather entertaining. My only gripe with the movie is the last 5 minutes. The ending doesn’t exactly fit the narrative, but this is a romantic comedy. Is it really meant to make sense.
Grade: B