I love Robin Williams and have seen many of his movies. I’m usually willing to see any of his movies at least once. I've watched more than one movie simply because he was in it. He was the main reason that I wanted to see License to Wed.
Sadie and Ben had a good relationship, progressing through dating and living together with no problems. Ben proposed at his parents’ thirtieth anniversary party and the planning started immediately with Sadie saying how she’d always dreamed of being married by Reverend Frank. Ben agreed since it meant so much to her. He started having second thoughts when Reverend Frank said that they had to take and pass a class before he would marry them. Ben didn’t see the point of most of what they had to do, but he kept doing it for Sadie. He got more stressed with everything that Reverend Frank made them do. It didn’t help matters that Sadie kept turning to her friend Carlisle to help with the wedding plans instead of Ben.
I was thinking that License to Wed was supposed to be a romantic comedy but after seeing the movie I’m not sure because it really wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t funny enough for a comedy either. Once again, most of the laughs were included in the trailer. I hate when that happens. There were fairly large blocks of time when nothing funny happened which did make some scenes drag. Most of the humor was provided by Reverend Frank and the bizarre things he made Ben and Sadie do. Several things done for laughs were rather silly and there were some things that were intended to be funny that just fell flat. There was gross humor added as well in a few scenes. It wasn’t as much as has been used in some movies and it didn’t really bother me.
The first few minutes of the movie showed how Ben and Sadie met, started dating, moved in together and got engaged with Reverend Frank talking in a voice over. There was basically no development for their relationship. The wedding planning was shown, with more time being devoted to the class Reverend Frank insisted on. Some of the things he was trying to teach, like the importance of good communication, were good things. He just had unique or downright strange methods. There were times when it seemed like Reverend Frank was only trying to cause trouble and break up Sadie and Ben. I thought the plot had potential, but the movie was still very predictable overall.
Sadie and Ben’s relationship was very important to License to Wed. They had a happy relationship but some problems did pop up once they started the class mostly because Ben wasn’t as enthused about it as Sadie was. Right from the start, Sadie really didn’t pay attention to Ben’s thoughts about anything connected to the wedding. There was barely a discussion on where the ceremony would take place since he quickly gave in to her wishes on that. She only asked Ben his opinion once or twice and then she quickly dismissed what he said, saying she would just ask Carlisle instead. There were a few sexual situations and discussions without their being any sex scenes or nudity. Reverend Frank was shown in the shower at one point, something I could have done without seeing.
Even though most of the movie was focused on Reverend Frank’s class, religion didn’t play that large a role. Sadie insisted on getting married in Reverend Frank’s church even though she hadn’t gone to church in years. Reverend Frank even made sure he pointed that out the first time he met with Sadie and Ben. It really wasn’t even clear what religion they were. I don’t think they were Catholic even though Reverend Frank was wearing a collar like priests wear. He was called reverend and Sadie said he was her minister at one point. There weren’t any nuns around either. The movie was poking a little bit of fun at religion, which could offend some people.
Sadie and Ben were a young couple who were secure in their relationship before they started the class with Reverend Frank. Sadie had very specific ideas about what she wanted, both for the wedding and in their life together. She did get a bit worried and upset when she found out that Ben didn’t always agree with her. She didn’t pay attention to the things that Ben mentioned wanting related to the wedding and instead kept turning to her friend Carlisle. Mandy Moore was fine in the part. Ben just wanted to get married and thought the class was a waste of time. He was only doing it for Sadie. Neither he or Sadie were really that developed. Jon Krasinski was fine in the part. He is probably most known for his role on the television show The Office. He also did a voice for a character in Shrek the Third.
Sadie’s family was around in a few scenes without them doing much. Her parents seemed nice enough, but they were very flat characters. Her grandmother had very definite ideas about some things and didn’t hesistate to share them. Lindsey, Sadie’s sister, was living with her parents after her recent divorce. Lindsey didn’t seem to be dealing with the divorce that well. She was usually shown drinking something or trying to drink something. She was bitter and tended to have sarcastic things to say. Christine Taylor was fine in the part. I think I liked her better in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Carlisle was Sadie’s best friend. He was good at planning things and Sadie kept turning to him.
Reverend Frank was in just about as much of the movie as Sadie and Ben were. He was very enthusiastic and had a unique way of doing things. He seemed like a kind, caring man, but he did some questionable things. He wasn’t a conventional minister by any stretch of the imagination. Robin Williams was fine in the part, though I don’t’ think it was one of his better parts. He did the best he could with what he had to work with I think. Josh Fritter, who I recently saw in Nancy Drew, played a young boy who was in some sort of minister mentor program. The character was never even given a name. Joel was Ben’s best friend and he had a habit of giving absolutely horrible advice. He had a horrible attitude about marriage and was a jerk for the most part.
Main Cast
DeRay Davis - Joel Josh Flitter - Reverend Frank’s Young Assistant Roxanne Hart - Mrs. Jones Jon Krasinski - Ben Mandy Moore - Sadie Eric Christian Olsen - Carlisle Peter Strauss - Mr. Jones Christine Taylor - Lindsey Robin Williams - Reverend Frank Graze Zabriskie - Grandma Jones
Ken Kwapis - Director
License to Wed was a mildly entertaining movie. I have seen worse, but I’ve also seen much better. It just wasn’t funny enough for a comedy. Fans of Robin Williams might find something to enjoy in the movie. There’s no need to rush to see this one.
This review is part of elvisdo’s 2007 Canadiania Write-off. Some of License to Wed was filmed in Vancouver.
Newly engaged Ben Murphy and his fiancée, Sadie Jones, plan to live happily ever after. The problem is that Sadie's family church, St. Augustine's, i...More at HotMovieSale.com
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