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:

Mandy Moore, John Krasinski, Robin Williams

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 | wedding | kiss | usa | wedding reception | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The interior shots of the church were filmed at The First Congregational Church of Long Beach, CA. The windows at the back of the church are actually clear glass panes. They were made to look like stained glass windows by placing pieces of colored gels on the clear glass panes. Lights were then placed behind them to fill in the color and illuminate the darker areas of the sanctuary.

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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

References Great Expectations (1946)

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Soundtracks

Pray
Written by M.C. Hammer (as MC Hammer) and Prince (as Prince Rogers Nelson)

User Reviews

Holy Horror.

Catholic priest Robin Williams (!?) makes couple Mandy Moore and John Krasinski go through a crash course for those about to be married. If they fail the course then he can block the duet from getting hitched. And they say Hollywood is fresh out of innovative ideas. Totally unwanted and dreadful would-be comedy that uses up all its energy and possible assets early on with stupid situation after stupid situation. Even the performers seem like they know they are in a horrid movie that seems so much longer than it really is. As usual with films of the type, we have sitcom scenarios that are hard enough to make interesting over a half hour time slot let alone a cinematic feature which is three times as long. Break out the holy water and exorcise this celluloid. 2 stars out of 5.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [France] Warner Bros [United States]

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

License to Wed

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,422,258, 8 July 2007

Gross USA:

$43,799,818

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$70,181,325

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