The Wedding Planner – Classic Film Review 646

Jennifer Lopez quits action movies for a nifty change of pace in 2001 as Mary Fiore, a lonely San Francisco woman employed to arrange people’s weddings, but has no love of her own. Until, that is, she literally falls for dashing doctor Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey).

The trouble is, he’s about to marry lovely, rich Francine (Bridgette Wilson, Pete Sampras’s real-life wife) and Lopez is their wedding planner! So far so good with this jolly, light-hearted, old-style romantic comedy.

If this attempt to recreate the vintage kind of romantic comedy movies fails to maintain its enormous initial momentum and high spirits, it’s still amusing enough throughout. Well cast together, the star duo are attractive and appealing, and kick up a mean tango. McConaughey’s a good actor and proves adept at such light rom-com material.

Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis’s screenplay isn’t bad but, with a wittier script, Lopez and McConaughey could have been a perfect match. The Wedding Planner is certainly cute but not quite cute enough maybe.

Justin Chambers, Judy Greer, Alex Rocco, Joanna Gleason, Charles Kimbrough, Kevin Pollak and Fred Willard also star. Choreographer Adam Shankman (Hairspray, The Pacifier) directs.

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 646 derekwinnert.com