License to Wed (2007)

A reverend puts an engaged couple through a grueling marriage preparation course to see if they are meant to be married in his church.

Director:

Ken Kwapis

Writers:

Kim Barker (screenplay), Tim Rasmussen (screenplay),

Stars:

Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, John Krasinski

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Williams	...	Reverend Frank
Mandy Moore	...	Sadie Jones
John Krasinski	...	Ben Murphy
Eric Christian Olsen	...	Carlisle
Christine Taylor	...	Lindsey Jones
Josh Flitter	...	Choir Boy
DeRay Davis	...	Joel
Peter Strauss	...	Mr. Jones
Grace Zabriskie	...	Grandma Jones
Roxanne Hart	...	Mrs. Jones
Mindy Kaling	...	Shelly
Angela Kinsey	...	Judith the Jewelry Clerk
Rachael Harris	...	Janine
Brian Baumgartner	...	Jim
Jess Rosenthal	...	Jewelry Clerk

Storyline

Sadie and Ben are in love, and although Ben suggests getting married in the Caribbean, Sadie has her heart set on a wedding at the family church, St. Augustine's. Ben says sure, and they meet with the pastor, Rev. Frank. The only date open for two years is three weeks away, and Frank insists the kids go through his marriage prep course. They're to write their own vows; he also demands chastity, bugs their apartment, initiates arguments, has them care for robot twins, creates friction between Ben and her family, and raises doubts in Sadie. Desperate, Ben looks for dirt on Frank. Can he undermine Frank's authority and keep Sadie's heart?

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Plot Keywords:

church | marriage proposal | box office flop | priest | premarital counseling | 

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Taglines:

First came love... then came Reverend Frank.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual humor and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [fr] Warner Bros [us]

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Licencia para casarse

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£268,016 (UK) (10 August 2007)

Gross:

$43,792,641 (USA) (28 September 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Village Roadshow Pictures, Robert Simonds Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

WILHELM SCREAM: During the marriage road test, an old man on a scooter crashes into a car.

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Goofs

During the scene where the couple first meet the Pastor, the pastor's Family Feud-esque Board has 10 answers, but his controller has only one button. Therefore, he shouldn't be able to select between the different panels when they need to be flipped. It may be arguable that he could have it set to reveal in a predetermined order, but it's doubtful, considering that it seems like some answers were given in random order (Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife and Thou shalt not kill).

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Quotes

Ben Murphy: [mumbling] I Love You.
Sadie Jones: What?
Ben Murphy: What... a View! What a View.

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #8.135 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"New Shoes"
Written by Matty Benbrook, Jim Duguid, and Paolo Nutini
Performed by Paolo Nutini
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp./Warner Music U.K. Ltd.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Aww, it's all good fun

My friend and I were so excited to see this movie when we saw the trailer to License to Wed, it looked like a fun comedy. But when we heard all the bad reviews, we were a bit hesitant, but we figured that we still wanted to see it and why not? I don't get all the horrible reviews on IMDb, yeah, there were a few things wrong with the movie, but it seemed like nobody really wanted to enjoy this film. I'm not saying this to offend anyone, I just don't get how you could not laugh at least once in this film when it was just a cute romantic comedy that's better than most.

Sadie and Ben are one happy couple, after only six months they feel that they are ready to tie the knot and get married. But Sadie's wishes are to be married in the church her parents got married in and their family minister, Frank. Frank isn't going to give this couple an easy time though, he'll test them from Heaven to Hell to see if they are really ready for marriage and slowly the realize what might be wrong and different in their relationship.

Now, I admit that some of the situations were predictable and unbelievable, but I think if you let go and just have fun, you'll find yourself laughing. This movie was all in good fun; I loved the scene where they have to find out what having kids was like. Those little mechanical babies were so ugly and scary, but so funny! I expected a fun and cute movie and that's what I got with License to Wed, so don't trust the IMDb reviews, just go and have fun!

6/10