As a fan of four key people in the cast (De Niro, Keaton, Williams, Sarandon), it was pretty much a given that I was going to see this, even if the ads told me that I was destined for a rough ride.
There was a certain stripe of made-for-TV movie in the 1980s and early 90s, movies with titles like "Crash Course" and "Baby of the Bride." They featured casts bursting with stars of all the then-hot series (Jackee, Rue McClanahan, etc.) and wacky premises (a wacky driver's ed school! a pregnant old woman!) and were just as terrible as they looked in the ads. "The Big Wedding," from its title to its awful script, is just the big-screen version of one of those disposable made-for-TV clunkers. The only thing setting it apart is the caliber of star they managed to get for this crapfest and the "sexual" situations involved in some of the plot. Even De Niro's raunchy dialogue seems forced, as if the filmmakers were desperate to set their movie apart from bad TV movies.
That said, I expected that at least the cast would make it worthwhile. I mean, we've all watched movies just for the cast, or seen otherwise lousy movies that were redeemed to some degree by a favorite actor. None of that is the case here. De Niro's been phoning it in for the last decade or so, and this is no exception. Keaton plays the same role she's been playing since "Something's Gotta Give" put her back on the radar. Sarandon acquits herself. But worst of all is Williams, who has less than five minutes on screen in a part anyone could've played. It actually feels as if he was directed NOT to ad lib or have any fun with the role. It's an extended cameo that he could've made shine, but there is NO "Robin Williamsness" in his performance. Overall, no one in the main cast performs with any personality.
In short, don't see it unless you're completing your checklist of one of the main stars' filmographies. And even then, be prepared to be sorely disappointed.
There was a certain stripe of made-for-TV movie in the 1980s and early 90s, movies with titles like "Crash Course" and "Baby of the Bride." They featured casts bursting with stars of all the then-hot series (Jackee, Rue McClanahan, etc.) and wacky premises (a wacky driver's ed school! a pregnant old woman!) and were just as terrible as they looked in the ads. "The Big Wedding," from its title to its awful script, is just the big-screen version of one of those disposable made-for-TV clunkers. The only thing setting it apart is the caliber of star they managed to get for this crapfest and the "sexual" situations involved in some of the plot. Even De Niro's raunchy dialogue seems forced, as if the filmmakers were desperate to set their movie apart from bad TV movies.
That said, I expected that at least the cast would make it worthwhile. I mean, we've all watched movies just for the cast, or seen otherwise lousy movies that were redeemed to some degree by a favorite actor. None of that is the case here. De Niro's been phoning it in for the last decade or so, and this is no exception. Keaton plays the same role she's been playing since "Something's Gotta Give" put her back on the radar. Sarandon acquits herself. But worst of all is Williams, who has less than five minutes on screen in a part anyone could've played. It actually feels as if he was directed NOT to ad lib or have any fun with the role. It's an extended cameo that he could've made shine, but there is NO "Robin Williamsness" in his performance. Overall, no one in the main cast performs with any personality.
In short, don't see it unless you're completing your checklist of one of the main stars' filmographies. And even then, be prepared to be sorely disappointed.