‘Mother of the Bride’ Review (Netflix)
Stars: Brooke Shields, Miranda Cosgrove, Sean Teale, Chad Michael Murray, Rachael Harris, Benjamin Bratt | Written by Robin Bernheim | Directed by Mark Waters
When daughter Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) turns up out of the blue to reveal she’s engaged, Lana (Brooke Shields) can’t believe what she’s hearing. The adventure takes them to a luxury resort in Phuket, where Emma and her fiance RJ (Sean Teale) have planned the entire wedding down to the finest detail. What Lana doesn’t realize is who RJ’s father is, learning that Will (Benjamin Bratt) was the man who broke her heart years ago.
It only takes a few moments to realize why any actor would have signed up to film Mother of the Bride without so much as reading a script. The movie is essentially an all-expenses-paid jolly, with its glittering cast getting to hang out at a luxurious resort most could only dream of paying off in instalments while filming the odd scene here and there. Sadly, it’s probably a better deal for the actors than it is for the viewers, with Mother of the Bride expectedly falling short of brilliance. Sure, your mum will probably enjoy sticking this on while she’s doing her Sunday evening ironing, but that’s as far as it goes.
It’s all well and good watching beautiful people frolicking in a beautiful place — and for a while, it’s largely entertaining too. However, the plot of Mother of the Bride is ropey at best, and borders on incestuous at worst. There’s a scarce amount to say about this because there’s a scarce amount there. The nuance of acting craft is also mostly missing, with many cast members going through the Hallmark motions of delivering a bang-average rom-com. However, a special shoutout must be given to Miranda Cosgrove’s Emma, who received a mind-blowing gift of an apartment in Tribeca with all the mundanity of someone being fined by the local council.
Mother of the Bride isn’t all bad news, though. For Brooke Shields fans, the movie is a quiet moment of euphoria. For those who have watched the Pretty Baby documentary, there’s a noticeable emphasis on Brooke’s goofy side. Not only does she want to tap into her humour professionally, but behind the scenes, she’s the first person who’s game to have a laugh, but she’s fully on board to embrace her silly side. This is possibly the first notable movie where Brooke is allowed to run with this onscreen, fully hamming up the partially dead comedy with pratfalls, physical gags and a total lack of vanity.
For viewers of a millennial disposition, Mother of the Bride will clock two things — Mean Girls and Freaky Friday mastermind Mark Waters is behind the camera, and teen heartthrob Chad Michael Murray is in front of it. While Waters’ direction was probably better suited to the 2000s, Murray is almost unrecognisable as hotel hottie Lucas. Full props to him for chatting up Brooke Shields, though.
Aside from making you want to book a spontaneous break to Thailand, Mother of the Bride serves little other purpose — but hopefully, it will serve as a springboard for Brook’s comedic nouse.
** 2/5
Mother of the Bride is available to watch on Netflix now.
