When mention of the “Anantara Phuket” dropped within the first 7 minutes of the film, we knew Mother of the Bride was going to make a strong case for product placement and destination marketing. Set in Phuket, we reviewed the film through a critical lens, ready to pounce at any cringe-worthy cultural appropriation or classic Thailand cliches. Here are all the moments where that happened, where it didn’t, and where we paused the film to zoom in on one very special cameo.
Released on 9 May 2024, Mother of the Bride follows young influencer Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) and her all-expenses-sponsored wedding in Phuket. On arrival in Thailand, she discovers that her mother, Lana (Brooke Shields), used to date her fiancé’s father, Will (Benjamin Bratt). A few awkward will-they-won’t-they days ensue, between juggling the tropes of being an influencer, rekindling old flames, and bridging generational gaps.
Whilst we don’t want to spoil the ending — because you can probably already guess it — the film is a romantic reappearance of Brooke Shields on the silver screen, and a wanderlust-provoking portrayal of Thailand. But how accurate is it?
Opinion: What Netflix’s ‘Mother of the Bride’ gets right about Thailand (and what it gets totally wrong)
Where was Mother of the Bride filmed?
Mother of the Bride was filmed in Phuket, yet Thailand is not used as a plot-driving device. We started the film thinking and fearing for typical tourist traps and cliches, halfway expecting the characters to arrive in Phuket by tuk-tuk (Ryan Gosling in The Gray Man, we’re looking at you). The film begins with a few aerial shots of popular spots on the island, including Phuket Old Town and the airplanes flying overhead at Mai Khao beach.
Mentioned often, the gang claims to be staying at the Anantara in Phuket, though real ones will know that there are actually two Anantara properties in Phuket. Upon close inspection, it appears Mother of the Bride was filmed at both the Anantara Layan Phuket Resort and the Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas.
Jennifer Coolidge fans will feel a whiff of White Lotus at the beginning of the film, as the viewer is drawn into the resort and entranced with travel fever. Nonetheless, Mother of the Bride is a little less tactful than The White Lotus. The branding is glaringly obvious, and the Anantara logo can be seen in almost every scene featuring hotel staff, or on simple amenities like the bathrobes.
What Mother of the Bride gets right about Thailand
1. The hotels really are this gorgeous
Whilst the Anantara name is featured often, credit must be given where credit is due. We can attest that the Anantara properties are as beautiful as they appear on the screen, and really amp up a feel for the tropics with ample lotus ponds, secret salas, and vibrant greenery. The resorts are known for offering a wide range of activities, and like in the movie, they do in fact have a pickle ball court and even a secluded beach that you can only reach during low tide.
2. The guest cameo is more than just a cameo
Perhaps our favourite moment in the film is when Lana and Will try to escape the giggles of the staff after they were caught being indecent on camera. They rush through the lobby and towards the pool area, where a male guest grabs a towel and smiles at them. The hidden gem is that this guest is none other than William Heinecke, chairman and founder of Minor Hotels, to which the Anantara hotels and resorts belong. His character is listed as “Knowing Hotel Guest” on IMDb, though the businessman is known to really hang out at his properties from time to time.
3. Tie-dye is still very much a tourist favourite
After the surprise of meeting her ex-lover Will, Lana finds consolation in her friend and trusted confidante, Janice (Rachael Harris). In this scene, she is shown wearing a pink tie-dye dress, highly reminiscent of the tie-dye sold and worn all over Phuket and many other Thai beach towns. Later in the film, Lana and her daughter, Emma, go shopping at a small boutique in Phuket Old Town, where they sell similar items.
4. Australians love it here, and Russians too
Acting as a semi-foil to Will, Lana and Janice spot the attractive first-aid responder Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) while doing yoga on the beach. Aptly, he is oiling his abs with tanning oil. Whilst he is also a tourist, the portrayal is fitting, given that many tourists enjoy visiting Phuket, and many even move to the island permanently. Such seems to be the case with Harley (Dalip Sondhi) who plays the Australian hotel concierge. He explains that he visited the country on vacation “32 years ago” and never left. A charming touch is also Katrina’s appearance at the end of the film. We aren’t sure what her exact nationality is, but her Eastern European accent made for an interesting nod to the many Russians in Phuket.
5. We love beer and fruit as beach snacks
The adult crew decides to head to a deserted beach one afternoon, and in preparation for doing so, they decide to buy snacks. Whilst we were deeply disappointed that they didn’t head to a 7-11 convenience store, we enjoyed seeing some of our favourite local snacks being featured. At first, Clay (Michael McDonald) picks up salted Lay’s and Pringles, but Scott (Wilson Cruz) keeps it real and grabs Thai Singha beer, baby bananas, and mangoes. Now that makes sense.
What Mother of the Bride gets wrong about Thailand
1. We aren’t constantly drinking cocktails
Our blood boiled when the already-annoying wedding planner Camala (Tasneem Roc) said, “Relax, have a Mai Tai, and enjoy the party.” Even though she doesn’t say it directly, let’s get one thing straight: Mai Tai cocktails have nothing to do with Thailand. Furthermore, whilst cocktails make up a big chunk of the holiday experience for many, there’s no way you’d be drinking cocktails round the clock, unlike what Mother of the Bride would have you believe. This looked particularly ridiculous in the scene for the ‘morning after,’ where Lana and Janice relax in the pool, sipping cocktails, and apparently eating croissants. A croissant and a cocktail for breakfast? Unlikely pairing. A croissant, famously a very flaky pastry, consumed in the water? Ridiculous.
2. We take our spa sessions seriously
Janice and Lana relax post-pickle ball with a spa session, which is something that many in Thailand like to do. However, when was the last time you did a sound bath with a face mask on, while getting a foot massage at the same time? The cherry on top is Janice is sipping (yet another) cocktail as they do it. In Thailand, this is not how we do wellness. We’d give each individual treatment the attention it deserves. Luckily, Emma uttering a quick “koh tod ka,” when she enters the room adds a charming deflection.
3. Lover’s Cove isn’t a real place (and we would have phone signal there)
Whilst it was uber predictable that the jeep would break down and there would be no phone signal when Lana and Will get lost, do not let Lana’s comments fool you. Even though the mother of the bride thinks they are “halfway to Mars,” Phuket is a fairly inhabited island, and there is phone signal almost everywhere. Since they weren’t too far from anything, the two manage to trek down to a romantic beach in short time, and dreamily overlook the archipelago. Harley calls this beach “Lover’s Cove,” though in reality, this is certainly not its real name.
4. Thai hotel staff wouldn’t watch and shame you for your nudes
Perhaps the most infuriating part of the film is the CCTV sequence. After the friends get together for some inappropriate activities, they find out that they were recorded by the CCTV cameras on a deserted beach. Why would a beach have CCTV cameras if it wasn’t attached to the hotel? Why wouldn’t anyone spot these cameras? How can the cameras see so far into the sea? Logic aside, it is an imposition to assume that all the hotel staff would have seen the footage, and consequently shame the guests for it. “Tell [Janice] she’s very photogenic” in reference to a nude is a highly unprofessional thing for a concierge to say.
5. Thai instruments don’t sound like that
As the movie comes to an end and the wedding takes place, your ears may have bled at the sound of the wedding song. We liked that Mother of the Bride included Thai instruments for a local touch, but the song seems to come from a whole other set of instruments. Was there a backing track that didn’t agree? Were the musicians and their instruments mere props? Camala, this sounds like your work.
Verdict
Mother of the Bride gets a lot right about Thailand (“Why is it so hot? You could literally go through menopause here and not know it”), in large part because it hardly plays with the theme of Thailand at all. Beyond the scenery, the cultural references are minimal, bar the occasional “kap khun ka.”
We entered the film afraid of tourist cliches, but left with an abundance of rom-com cliches. Long-lost lovers meet, one of them gets hit in the genitalia, a phone call is overheard and misinterpreted: we’ve seen it all before, but luckily it wasn’t in the company of elephant-riding, inauthentic Pad Thai, or a Thai massage gone awry. On that front, Mother of the Bride is an average rom-com, but at least it isn’t deeply offensive to the destination.
In fact, moreso than Thailand, the destination that ‘wins’ Mother of the Bride is definitely the fictional Anantara Phuket. In a film that touches on a theme of influencing, sponsorship, and brand deals, it is almost ironic, then, that Minor Hotels comes out looking so fine. In the middle of the film and in the heart of the property, just look at Bill Heinecke’s big smile.
At the time of writing, Mother of the Bride has an IMDb rating of 5.0/10. Catch the film on Netflix.
Lisa Gries
Creative Content Director, Bangkok
Lisa is the Creative Content Director at Lifestyle Asia and Prestige Thailand. When she’s not knees-deep in SEO analysis or editorial calendars, you’ll likely find her in downward-facing dog at the yoga studio, or immersed in conversation at a secret bar in China town. Lisa writes mostly on dining, travel, and pop-culture, and is a huge fan of soup dumplings, Riesling, and power napping — in exactly that order.
