By Jay Betsill
Shotgun Wedding could have easily been titled Die Hard at a Wedding as the film begins as a light romantic comedy and takes a sudden turn to action when pirates arrive to takeover the festivities surrounding the marriage of Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (Duhamel) that is taking place at a small resort on a remote island in the Philippines.
There is already pre-wedding anxiety in the air between the bride and groom, but it ratchets up when Darcy’s father Robert (Cheech Marin) invites her former fiancee Sean Hawkins (Lenny Kravitz). Although there was no RSVP, Sean arrives in grand fashion the night before the wedding.
The only reason the couple is not taken captive by the pirates is they are off discussing whether to even continue with the wedding with Tom, a washed up minor league baseball player, only wanting to please Darcy, an uptight lawyer, and make her happy. There’s the question of why she and her previous fiancee broke up and why he is on hand and why her divorced parents do not seem to like him when they hear gunfire. Now it’s up to the couple to save their friends and family and the movie becomes extremely enjoyable simply off the chemistry of its two charismatic stars and strong supporting cast.
There are a few fun plot twists amidst the comedic cliches to keep things interesting en route to a fun movie that is a perfect watch for a group on a Saturday night or a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Shotgun Wedding is currently streaming on Prime Video.
SHOTGUN WEDDING (Rated R)
Scale of 1-10 – 7
