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2010, 03-01; written 3-11-10:
Review of film: “OUR FAMILY WEDDING”
Director
Rick Famuyiwa
Writers:
Wayne Conley
Malcolm Spellman
Rick Famuyiwa
Starring:
Forest Whitaker
America Ferrera
Carlos Mencia
Regina King
Lance Gross
Diana-Maria Riva
Lupe Ontiveros
Anjelah N. Johnson
Charles Q. Murphy
Shannyn Sossamon
Tonita Castro
Anna Maria Horsford
Warren Sapp
Shondrella Avery
Sterling Ardrey
Skylan Brooks
Castulo Guerra
Joseph Mencia
MPAA Rating:
G-13 for some sexual content and brief strong language.
Quotes:
“[Tagline:] To have and to hold... 'Til dads do us part.”
“Can’t we just do that & NOT TELL my dad?…”
“You have always been my favorite son.”
“You just said that out loud!”
“Just wait ’til you meet him.”
“I’m sorry for any wrong thing I said about your mother.”
“Make sure the music NEVER stops.”
“Love can’t tell time.”
“They have marital Guantanamo.”
“I TALKED to her father first.”
“They act so Mexican, they embarrass US!”
“Cake, I hear, is ‘Tradition’…”
“He’s not good enough for you.”
“This is just NOT how I dreamt it would be.”
“If you can’t stand up to your DAD—”
“I just hope that you can forgive me.”
“Even when I’m mad at you, I still LOVE you.”
MY Rating:
8 of 10 stars (based on an advance screening of the 90-minute film).
Many Viagra + 1 Goat = A Wedding movie that “Takes the CAKE”…
Falling in love & planning a wedding can be very stress-causing -- & especially so when the happy couple are of different races with families that are close-minded to such a union…
… In college, Black-American Marcus Boyd (LANCE GROSS) fell for Mexican-American Lucia Ramirez (AMERICA FERRERA), & they started to live together...
... When they return home to the L.A. area to announce their engagement, Lance is concerned about how her family will “respond” to him-- especially because he knows America has kept a big SECRET from her family about her own personal situation…
… Before they arrive, the story shifts to introduce us to their families: Lance’s divorced father Brad (FOREST WHITAKER) is a big-shot radio personality, a compulsive neat freak who tends to frequently go out with much younger women…
… He arrives to pick up his car on the street, & finds that it’s just been attached to a TOW-truck by a not-very-handy guy who chances to own the towing company (which also renovates fancy old cars)…
... Racist comments are made by Forest, which badly antagonizes the tow-truck guy named Miguel (CARLOS MENCIA) -- who just happens to be America’s FATHER, tho the two men don’t know the “connection” at that point in time…
… Carlos is an often-spacey sort of guy who has a big ego, & who’s just managed to displease his wife Sonia (DIANA-MARIA RIVA) by forgetting to get her anything for Valentine’s Day… He works at his shop with his mechanically-inclined daughter Isabella who calls herself “Izzy” (ANJELAH N. JOHNSON)… Later on, we meet his Momma Cecilia (LUPE ONTIVEROS) & Aunt Rosita (TONITA CASTRO)…
… America has told sis Anjelah a bit about her wedding plans, but has been fairly “close-mouthed with the rest of her family… Thus, when she arrives at her family’s home with Lance, most are very STUNNED that he’s black, & Carlos is clearly NOT HAPPY with the situation…
… Carlos is even more upset when he learns America (whom he’d proudly sent to law school) wants to go to Laos with Lance as he works for Doctors Without Borders, & they plan to leave for there within a few weeks...
… And, that high level of agitation is before he ever learns anything about OTHER vital details that America still is keeping “hidden” from her family (to Lance’s growing discomfort)…
… We eventually see Forest in a number of scenes with his best “platonic” friend Angela (REGINA KING)… At one point, he has an outdoor restaurant get-together with Lance, & his own friends including one played by TAYE DIGGS, + loud-mouthed (& quite funny) T.J. (CHARLES “CHARLIE” Q. MURPHY) who makes fun of Lance & his plans to get married…
… Plans are made to have the two families MEET each other before the planned wedding, at a fancy restaurant of rich Forest’s choosing… Naturally, things do NOT go very “smoothly” when the two fathers realize they KNOW each other, & the other family members have to try to “calm” them down for the sake of everyone in the bistro…
… Although Lance & America would prefer having a “SMALL” wedding, her family insists that they have a fairly LARGE one & follow loads of Mexican “TRADITIONS”-- which Lance (& Forest) reluctantly agree to do (although Lance doesn’t currently observe any “organized” religion)… Even as that is being agreed to, America still does NOT tell her parents a quite important fact about herself…
… All the way thru the movie, there are LOADS of very FUNNY scenes and comments. I was afraid this would be just a “dumb” type of comedy-- but they do lots of really GOOD, effective work, with “believable” (tho periodically exaggerated & some absurd) situations. Instead of coming across as “stupid”, it’s done in a really lively & entertainingly “FUN” way…
… Will Lance get America to REVEAL her secret to her family, &, if so, will they respond “well” to it?… Will the two highly egotistical dads ever manage to get ALONG?…
... Will the planned wedding actually HAPPEN as the engaged people want?… Will their extended (& often “nutty”) family members (including ANNA MARIA HORSFORD as Diane Boyd) “SABOTAGE” things overall?…
… In certain ways, the film sort of “concentrates” on the FATHERS at various stages. It successfully combines some “SERIOUS”points about life and people along with the comedy...
... It’s cute, likeable & WELL-DONE. (And, be sure to stay thru the CREDITS so you see some still photos that will tell you some “extended” things about the families involved)…
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