When my kids were younger, we would regularly watch the Nickelodeon show, “iCarly.” It was a relatively silly show about three friends who ran their own web show. I don’t think the phrase “influencer” was popularized yet, but Carly, Sam and Freddy were some of the original influencers. Of course, I’m old enough to remember when Brooke Shields was the “It Girl” as well, so I was interested to see how that might play in “Mother of the Bride” from director Mark Waters, currently streaming on Netflix.
Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) is a brand ambassador who was just proposed to, so now she is planning her dream wedding. She and her fiance RJ (Sean Teale) invite her mother Lana (Shields) to meet them in Thailand. When Lana arrives, she meets RJ’s father Will (Benjamin Bratt), only to discover that he is the one who got away — or rather, the one who ghosted her decades earlier. With dresses from elite designers, toasts written by a PR team, photo shoots intended to get the most likes and a decades-old feud to navigate, will Emma and Lana be able to find time to connect before the wedding?
This movie feels like one missed opportunity after another. The film does focus on Lana, but the sheer volume of physical gags that are not in Shields’ or Bratt’s wheelhouse overshadow the moments of true pathos that try to blossom. I would have loved to see more between Shields and Cosgrove, as their relationship seemed like it could have had something interesting to say, but everything stays so light as to just seem shallow.
None of the performances feel particularly impressive. Cosgrove is bubbly and cute, but it feels like grown-up iCarly rather than stretching her acting chops at all. There is some genuine chemistry between Shields and Bratt that is never fully capitalized on, moving to the misunderstanding trope before there is a chance to see them settle into something steamier.
Speaking of tropes, this movie doesn’t miss a single one. The script by “Remington Steele” writer Robin Bernheim feels tired and stale at every turn. We have a doctor parent and an influencer adult child who both share the grief of a lost parent, but none of that is explored. There is the lost love angle, but it’s undercut by cheap gags like a pickleball to the groin instead of actually examining what that looks like.
“Mother of the Bride” isn’t an awful movie, it’s just not a good one. Throwing interesting themes in and then ignoring them in favor of unearned laughs is lazy and this movie chooses the lazy path at every turn. Maybe with a glamorous beach wedding as the backdrop, I’m not supposed to have high expectations. But don’t tease me with something thoughtful and then refuse to follow through. I’d RSVP a no on this wedding.
Alise Chaffins is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
