The Wedding Planner (2001)

Director:

Adam Shankman

Writers (WGA):

Pamela Falk (written by) &
Michael Ellis (written by)

Release Date:

26 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

His big day is her big problem.

Plot:

Mary Fiore is the wedding planner. She's ambitious, hard-working, extremely organized, and she knows...

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Doctor | Gown | Arranged Marriage | Dumpster

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 28	11:00 PM	ABCF
Sat. Dec. 5	8:00 PM	OXYGEN
Sat. Dec. 5	10:30 PM	OXYGEN

Cast

Jennifer Lopez	...	Mary Fiore
Matthew McConaughey	...	Steve Edison
Bridgette Wilson	...	Fran Donolly (as Bridgette Wilson-Sampras)
Justin Chambers	...	Massimo
Judy Greer	...	Penny
Alex Rocco	...	Salvatore
Joanna Gleason	...	Mrs. Donolly
Charles Kimbrough	...	Mr. Donolly
Kevin Pollak	...	Dr. John Dojny
Fred Willard	...	Basil St. Mosely
Lou Myers	...	Burt Weinberg
Frances Bay	...	Dottie
Kathy Najimy	...	Geri
Cortney Shounia	...	Mary Fiore - Age 7
Philip Pavel	...	Benton

Also Known As:

Wedding Planner - verliebt, verlobt, verplant (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual humor.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:A | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Crystal Spring Lakes, San Mateo County, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In an early scene in Matthew McConaughey's office, he indicates a framed picture of his "sister". The prop is actually a picture of McConaughey in drag.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Mary gets examined by Dr. Steve, Penny arrives in his office without a coat. When she leaves, she removes a coat from the rack.

Quotes:

Geri: Uh uh, Pierre, I love you but if you use another carnation in my bouquet I *will* deport you, mk? Muah.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "90210: Help Me, Rhonda (#1.15)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Adore You

A flawed, mildly formulaic but likable and charming romantic comedy that will probably keep you smiling

True, "The Wedding Planner" does have its share of cinematic conceits. Just watching the previews, you pretty much have a good idea what's going to happen in the end. But unlike many romantic comedies, this is not predictable by the minute. The characters are likable and charming, and you get quite engrossed in them. The actors are charming as well. Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McCoughnahey are equally good and have a fine chemistry. The scenes, in general, are handled in a sweet-natured fashion without becoming nauseatingly sentimental. The opening scene is very original and made me laugh. In the first scene, we get an idea of how Mary (Lopez) plans her weddings, staging them like a secret service operation, strapping wires to the bride and groom, feeding them suggestions as they walk down the aisle and making sure all the guests are in order pronto. There are certain moments of "sitcom stupidity." There's a scene where Steve (McCoughnahey) gets his hand stuck to a statue's privates. The comedy was badly timed and the scene appeared quite lame. A similar joke was used in Rodney Dangerfield's "Meet Wally Sparks," but was done in a much more structured manner and spawned hilarious results. About the member of the cast who I felt was a little hammy was Alex Rocco as Mary's Sicilian father. His accent comes and goes, and in some scenes he struggles so much with it that he starts talking like someone with down syndrome. Fred Willard has a short but funny, scene-stealing role (when hasn't Willard stolen the show?) as a ballroom dance teacher. There are some moments in the plot that are forced and created simply to move the film along, so we can quickly arrive at the "juicy climax." One of the subplots involves Mary's father trying to fix his daughter up with this silly, thick-accented Sicilian cassanova. He wants her to get married to him, but she refuses. Throughout the film, they don't seem to have any more than a friendly bond. Yet later in the film, he makes a sweet proposal and Mary actually agrees to marry him. The ending is far-fetched and over-the-top, and though I can't discuss it you've probably seen this ending before. One thing I have to credit the writers for is refusing to make Fran (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras--Man, is she sooooo beautiful!!!) a total b**ch, like they would in most films of a similiar plot. The way the formula goes is the guy's engaged this girl, while another girl captures his heart. But the girl he's engaged to is usually so unlikable that you wonder why he wanted to marry her in the first place. I'm glad they didn't take that cheap route. Even Fran has a certain charm to her character. The charming characters and the charming actors are really what makes this movie worth seeing. Yes, it's pretty much (though less than usual) a formula romantic comedy, but a likable one because of the way we're captured by the people on screen. This is not a great film, it has its dull moments, it has its silly moments, but it's often a fun and pleasant movie experience. You'll fall in love with "The Wedding Planner."

My score: 7 (out of 10)