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The Wedding Video Review

September 13, 2012

Not the best, but not the worst, film I've seen at the cinema recently; The Wedding Video is fine for a Sunday afternoon. Watched any other day of the week may result in some serious disappointment.

Thanks to a small, little known comedy back in 2011 written by an up and coming comedienne; wedding films have never been so popular. This year we’ve had The Five-Year Engagement and with Bachelorette and A Few Best Men to look forward to, the future looks bleak for matrimonial movies. In the meantime, The Wedding Video briefly plugs the nuptial-shaped hole currently at the cinemas. Whether this is a good thing is certainly questionable.

In the middle class, cut throat world of wedding planning; one nomadic best man, Raif, (Rufus Hound) bucks the trend for wish list generated gifts and shoots a documentary of the events leading up to his brother’s wedding. Tim (Robert Webb) and Saskia (Lucy Punch) are engaged. With their set date creeping ever forward, Raif goes further than the call of duty to ensure his future sister-in-law is happy. Nigel Cole’s The Wedding Video stars a plethora of British actors and comedians (including Matt Berry, Mariam Margolyes and Michelle Gomez) although is no Four Weddings and a Funeral.

It was inevitable that any British wedding comedy would be compared to Four Weddings and a Funeral at some point so I may as well address that straight away. The Wedding Video is no Richard Curtis hit. On paper, it does have fantastic potential: a good idea, some good talent and some lovely countryside. In reality; it’s all a bit boring. Expecting something more like the splendid Confetti, disappointment in director Nigel Cole’s latest offering was inevitable. Don’t get me wrong; The Wedding Video has some brilliant moments. Rufus Hound is fantastic as the rebellious best man, Lucy Punch is charming as always and it was nice to spot some local-ish landmarks. Even though I laughed a handful of times, I was hoping for much more from the one from Peep Show (Webb) and the one from The IT Crowd (Berry).

Fine for a sleepy Sunday afternoon, The Wedding Video has some touching moments that aren’t too fleeting. With a predictable yet pleasing ending, it’s not the worst film I’ve seen at the cinema and is in a completely different league to Keith Lemon: The Film. Maybe Cole should have taken tips from Wiig and featured the prospective bride-to-be pooing in her wedding dress. In the street.