If you’re giving yourself permission to relax in front of some good humored romantic silliness, I would strongly suggest kicking back and enjoying License to Wed. But enjoying the fruits of such a movie requires commitment: to the confusing, the seemingly implausible, and the plot that oftentimes wonders astray. If you can suspend the suspicion that this movie has been places it’s not letting on to, you should have a good time.
Mandy Moore stars as Sadie Jones, a young bride-to-be set to marry her sweetheart, Ben Murphy (John Krasinski), according to her dreams: in a church ceremony presided over by her family’s favorite priest, the amicably difficult Reverend Frank (Robin Williams.) But getting married Reverend Frank style proves to be more than setting the date and saying the vows. The reverend and his business savvy alter boy find he only has one wedding date available in the next two years – three weeks from the day Ben popped the question. And if the two are to be married by the reverend, they’ve got to pass his requisite wedding class, designed to be a grueling months-long process of fight provoking, simulated child-rearing, and (of course) abstinence, in just a fraction of the time. But Reverend Frank is no ordinary orderly, certainly not a tranquil teacher, and his crash course to wedded bliss threatens to kill Sadie and Ben’s life together before it even begins.
I find that License to Wed is analogous to one of those celebrity couples which are so darn cute, so put together, so potentially perfect, so absolutely devastating to me when they break up. When the credits for License to Wed started rolling, I wailed to myself, “Oh! So close!” I felt as I did the day Reese and Ryan divorced.
Mandy Moore is absolutely beautiful and wonderfully charming, but she just doesn’t have what it takes to carry the role of the leading lady. I am sure of this because I try extra hard to love Mandy Moore every time I watch a Mandy Moore flick, and the temptation to promote another one of her lack luster performances is just about the closest I come to critical bias. But, I just have to say it: she may have cute but she doesn’t have character.
John Krasinski is just OK here. Ben’s reactions were often overly dramatic and seemingly unfounded, but I know a lot of men like this, so suffice it to say that his character was annoying.
Robin Williams is always a joy, and his portrayal of a middle aged priest on a single track crusade to curtail the divorce rate is no exception. I though his humor was wonderfully balanced, perfectly timed, and completely suited to his character. His performance would have made me feel fantastic had it been matched by the rest of the cast; instead, his one man comedy just made me feel bad.
License to Wed uses the laugh tactic to approach the topic of failed marriages, suggesting that there are too many people getting married before getting to know each other. I agree! And in light of this statement, I declare that License to Wed is a hypocrite movie. How can I get involved with characters I’m never properly introduced to? Little is explained in this film: the characters are very poorly developed (especially Ben, of whom nothing is disclosed about his job or family.) A lot of the plot depends on miracles of convenience, and many opportunities to really cook the meat of this story were wasted on bad jokes. It’s a shame. I wouldn’t divorce this movie from my affection entirely; if it could just pick up some revisions in couple’s therapy, I’d be a devout fan.
Liz Licorish
Comments directed to: LizFlix@elitestv.com
Published July 9, 2007
