I knew going into Netflix’s new romcom, Mother of the Bride, that it would be a bit campy and cheesy, but I had no idea just how much I was going to roll my eyes throughout its 88-minute runtime. By the title alone, we know this idea has been done in some capacity before. Though there are a few saving graces with some of the casting choices, the script, lack of chemistry and attempt at slapstick comedy did not stick the landing, leaving viewers counting down the minutes until it is over.
Mother of the Bride opens with Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) and RJ (Sean Teale) getting engaged. From the very first scene, I was getting Family Channel, or maybe even Hallmark, movie vibes. It was not off to a good start. We are met with a pretty cold open to get the ball moving quickly, as Mother of the Bride has a lot of story to tell, but not really. This first scene makes it very clear that Emma and RJ are not our main characters, and thank God for that because they have almost no chemistry, even during the proposal.
“Between overexaggerated facial expressions and the old “we fell into the pool” gag, I was dreading where Mother of the Bride would take us next.”
That proposal ends in a conversation where Emma is concerned about telling her mother, Lana (Brooke Shields), about the wedding, implying that she is difficult or high maintenance. We find out that she doesn’t know about the couple at all. We then realize this will mean that Emma will not be returning home, so though they try to make Lana out to be “too much,” as a mom, I kind of get it. I’d be bummed too!
Once the cat is out of the bag, everyone gathers for this rather hasty wedding, which takes place a month later. This is when we finally get around to the real plot: RJ’s father is Lana’s ex-boyfriend, the one who broke her heart and the one who got away. The first encounter between these is cringeworthy at best. Though it is supposed to be awkward, there isn’t a second where anyone feels like they are speaking naturally. Between overexaggerated facial expressions and the old “we fell into the pool” gag, I was dreading where Mother of the Bride would take us next.
This theme of Lana being a “Monster of the Bride” carries on throughout the film, with Lana being made out to be the bad guy at her daughter’s “social media approved” wedding. In reality, everything Emma is asking for is obnoxious and over-the-top. Yet Lana is consistently met with complaints about her attitude, which eventually leads to Emma telling Lana to go home. Lana is constantly agreeing to do every tacky thing to make her daughter happy, but Emma is outraged.
The dialogue feels so unbalanced with what is going on, like Brooke Shields was playing the character nicer than she should have been. Mother of the Bride makes it feel like we are supposed to be siding with Emma, but it just didn’t land, and because of this, the extreme reactions seem incredibly out of place. Without them, though, the plot wouldn’t progress, so here we are. I could go on about the number of times that reactions and plot progressions were absolutely not warranted, but I think I made my point.
“Mother of the Bride makes it feel like we are supposed to be siding with Emma, but it just didn’t land, and because of this, the extreme reactions seem incredibly out of place.”
This over-the-top influencer wedding is basically a college reunion for Lana and RJ’s father, Will (Benjamin Bratt). Scott (Wilson Cruz), his husband Clay (Michael McDonald), and Janice (Rachael Harris) all went to school with the couple, and they work together to progress the story by sharing tidbits of information with the former lovers. Rachael Harris is my favourite part of everything she is in. Even when everyone else in each group setting felt like they were reading lines off a page, her comedic timing was impeccable, and I was very grateful for it.
Mother of the Bride seemed to struggle during group scenes but excelled, even if it was just a little, during one-on-one scenes. Harris and Shields had some great energy together, and they balanced each other out a bit. There were even scenes between Will and Lana that pulled me in and felt like real, emotional moments, especially when they danced together at the rehearsal. Benjamin Bratt was never the source of any really terrible moments in Mother of the Bride, but he certainly was not enough to save it, either.
Oh, and Chad Michael Murray was there because how else could Will figure out he loves Lana if he doesn’t get jealous? I feel this role could have been played by any random “hunk,” and it felt like a waste of Murray’s talent. Apologies for the afterthought about him, but it was about as much an afterthought as the character was, too. At least his lines didn’t make me wince as some of the others did.
That said, there really is not much to love about Mother of the Bride. I can accept a silly, slapstick comedy. I can accept cheesy romance, and sometimes I even prefer it. But those need to come with real emotion and genuine laughs, not theatrical facial expressions and literal nut-shots. There is a way to do romcoms that won’t give them all a bad name. If you’re looking for something light-hearted and fun on Netflix, go watch Crazy Stupid Love, Players or hell, even Marry Me was better than this.
