Jennifer Lopez seems convinced that a dive into the past is the right thing to do, in all areas. After the fairytale wedding with the ex par excellence Ben Affleck, the pop star has also returned to an old love of hers: romantic comedies. An explosive marriage (original title Shotgun Wedding) directed by Jason Moore and written by Mark Hammer lands on Prime Video on January 27, 2023.
The film is produced by Todd Lieberman, David Hoberman, Alexander Young, Jennifer Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina, is defined as an “action romantic comedy”, has a crazy cast and we are pretty sure that it will easily earn a place in the Top Ten of Prime Video. He deserves it? This is another discussion.
An explosive marriage and a mismatched family
The story of An explosive marriage it all comes from the spouses, Darcy e Tom. Darcy is an up-and-coming lawyer with a Peace Corps background, Tom an out-of-work baseball player and sharp-eyed. Despite her reservations, he insisted on planning a fabulous yet affordable wedding at a Philippine island resort. A dream weekend for the couple and their families. More or less. As we discover them during the inaugural dinner the evening before the actual ceremony, in fact, the family members of the bride and groom appear increasingly bizarre and mismatched.
Darcy’s family doesn’t like Tom, Tom’s family is loud and eccentric. The tension rises, and on the morning of the wedding Tom and Darcy have a nasty argument and decide to call off the wedding. Except that a team of Filipino pirates takes guests hostage and guards the island. The newlyweds-no-longer-married will be forced to do something, and a twist will turn the tide of the entire weekend.
Jennifer Lopez and a comedy to show how well she ages
The idea is there. Who doesn’t like a romantic comedy with a little gunplay? On paper, personally, that sounds like something to cherish. The execution, however, is another story. This movie is over the top, the story non-existent, the twist comes out of nowhere and doesn’t add any kind of pleasantness. The characters of Tom and Darcy are ridiculous, caricatured, shouted, irritating.
What’s left? Jennifer Lopez, which seems to have produced an empty film that however screams “look how well I am aging” with every shot. Sacrosanct, but 140 minutes of film on these premises do not hold up. Jennifer Coolidge’s character is amusing, overall the choral scenes in the pool are amusing (much more than those of the two protagonists, who are clownish). The rest is to throw away, and also an interesting and capable actress like D’Arcy Cardenwhich he demonstrated on several occasions (The Good Place above all) to have interesting comedic tempos, gets lost in the void of An Explosive Wedding.
The cast of An Explosive Marriage
Jennifer Lopez it is Darcy, the bride-to-be. Josh Duhamel it’s Tom, the future husband. Sonia Braga is Renata, Jennifer Coolidge (fresh from the success of The White Lotus) played Carol. Lenny Kravitz (you read that right, him) is Sean. Cheech Marin plays Robert, D’Arcy Carden instead it is Harriet. Also starring Selena Tan as Marge, Desmin Borges as Ricky.
The review
This movie is over the top, the story non-existent, the twist comes out of nowhere and doesn’t add any kind of pleasantness. The characters of Tom and Darcy are ridiculous, caricatured, shouted, irritating. What’s left? Jennifer Lopez, who seems to have produced an empty film but screams “look how well I’m aging” with every shot. Sacrosanct, but 140 minutes of film on these premises do not hold up.
