Movie Review: Love Wedding Repeat (2020)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Director: Dean Craig

Starring: Sam Claflin, Olivia Munn, Freida Pinto

Running Time: 100 minutes

Synopsis: At a scenic Italian villa, Englishman Jack (Sam Claflin) is supporting his sister Hayley (Eleanor Tomlinson) on her wedding day. Jack is also interested in re-igniting a romance with Hayley's friend Dina (Olivia Munn), three years after they felt a spark in Rome. The wedding guests include Jack's ex-girlfriend Amanda and her new partner Chaz (Freida Pinto and Allan Mustafa), Jack's friend and aspiring actor Bryan (Joel Fry), and most disruptive of all, Hayley's admirer since high school Marc (Jack Farthing).

What Works Well: Writer and director Dean Craig aims for a Death At A Funeral madcap vibe, and partially succeeds. Enough funny shenanigans swirl around Hayley's wedding to maintain interest, including a spiked drink, an insufferable guest in a kilt (an often hilarious Tim Key), and at least one surprise revelation. Sam Claflin (the would-be lover lacking confidence), Eleanor Tomlinson (the stressed out bride), and especially Jack Farthing (the event wrecker) buy into their roles as a narrator laments the whims of fate orchestrating various outcomes. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The two different playthroughs suggest a scarcity of material to occupy a feature length film, and some characters either never get going (Vitelli the film director) or just get tiresome in a hurry (the size-obsessed Chaz).

Conclusion: The wedding is worth attending, but it's not the event of the season.



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