Honeymoon with Mom (2006)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Paul A. Kaufman

Writer:

Duane Poole (writer)

Release Date:

18 August 2007 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

When she's dumped at the altar, a young woman takes her mother on her intended honeymoon to a remote resort. But her mother has ulterior motives -- she needs a big interview to help her magazine, and the resort owner is the perfect catch. |

Cast

Shelley Long	...	Mom
Jack Scalia	...	Nick
Virginia Williams	...	Shannon Bates
Eric Johnson	...	Adam
Edward Finlay	...	Jack Wicker
Mike Coleman	...	Ryan
Art Cohan	...	Dr. Randall Wicker
Suzanne Ford	...	Mrs. Wicker
Billy Lloyd	...	Young Associate
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kira Clavell	...	Hotel clerk
Scot Davis	...	Best Man
Margaret Emery	...	Cheryl
Andy Hnilo	...	Wedding Guest
Eitan Kramer	...	Kirk
Winston Rekert	...	Larry
Joanne Rose	...	Wedding guest
Nicholas Shaffer	...	Minister
Payton Spencer	...	Flower girl
Maria West	...	Grace

Runtime:

Argentina:120 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

ACH

A jilted bride uses her honeymoon to holiday with her mother

An interesting failure of a film, this probably has more to recommend it than many TV movies. The story has bride Virginia Williams jilted at the altar by her feckless fiancé Edward Finlay. Her mother, divorced and hard-nosed editor of a gossip mag Shelley Long, persuades her that they should use the pre-booked honeymoon to indulge in mummy-daughter time. But mum has her own agenda - the idyllic island resort is owned by a reclusive ex-astronaut (Jack Scalia)and mum needs a front-page exclusive... So far, so predictable. Romance? Reconciliation? Retching at saccharine overdose? Well, yes to an extent. Except that there's an essential intelligence here. Although the characters are broad-brush stereotypes, they're not simple TV-movie grotesques. Perhaps its her age, but Long eschews the physical slapstick that's been one of her trademarks and does a credible job as a mother keeping a hesitant grasp on her own emotional history (although she's less great at suggesting a gossip mag editor who's red in tooth and claw). From time to time, Long holds back on the emoting and you can actually see a character weighing up the pros and cons of her actions. She's matched by Williams, who isn't given a lot to do except express the various shades of 'perky'. However, Williams can play a nuance with impressive deftness. As with Long, there's emotional intelligence at work here - and the two of them make the script go further than you'd think it could. And finally, there's the storyline. Oh gosh yes, it's predictable. But it sidesteps the temptation to tie up the ending in pretty pink bows and ribbons. It accepts that romance is a means to happiness - it's not an end in itself: TV-movie sugar doesn't rot the teeth out of your head by the time final credits run. The faults in this movie are evident - it wouldn't stretch the intelligence of a two-year-old - but once you see its strengths, there's enough to recommend it on a wet afternoon.