I don’t usually tend to do film write ups (I leave that to the Celebrity Writer Sam) as I am a really waffle-y writer and film reviews are generally quite succinct. However, after sitting through 94 minutes of The Wedding Video and feeling a little confused, I thought I’d attempt a write up – so that others planning to watch the ‘so called’ comedy can have a pre-warning.
Generally the trailer of a film tends to be reflective of the film in its entirety (emphasis on the word ‘generally’) and so after seeing a trailer of The Wedding Video and watching an interview of one of the film’s stars Rufus Hound on This Morning, I thought I was in for a treat. Oh no!
Whilst I personally love Rufus Hound (and sincerely miss him on Keith Lemon’s Celebrity Juice) and equally, I think Lucy Punch is a great actress, the chemistry between the pair in the film is sweet, a little cringe worthy perhaps – but definitely not funny. The feuding ‘elite’ group of mothers in the film, included to create humour are just fake, awkward and un-funny and the over bearing mother in the film is a little pedantic, yes – but hilarious, no.
There are some funny moments. Some. But these have already been seen by everyone who steps into the screening, as they are in the trailer. The ‘bingo wings eliminating’ bouquet is a hilarious idea, as is the mother fighting to have her daughter ride on a unicorn to her wedding, but the rest of it is a little hit and miss.
The film itself is based around the fact that Raif (Rufus Hound) is filming his brother’s wedding (and the run up to it) on a brand new camera, which he will then present to his brother as a wedding present. The result of this means that the camera shooting and angles has to look amateur, which is a little irritating at times as it means the camera is constantly jolting and moving and the characters rather awkwardly have to talk to the camera. Robert Webb (who I’ve never found funny) plays Tim, the brother of Raif who is soon to be married to Saskia (Lucy Punch). Whilst I am sure he fits right into The Peep Show, he is simply a little awkward playing a groom-to-be and some of his acting (when trying to persuade his brother not to film the run up to his wedding) is a little forced.
The documentary-amateur style filming technique also means that the events in the film are really mis-matched and there’s no real links between them. It jumps from a lively party to Raif (Hound) sitting in his bedroom. The script is poorly written and is delivered much like a sketch show (just a little more over the top!). Towards the end it jumps from a half hearted comedy to a romance, almost like it’s given up attempting to be funny.
I’m trying not to reveal too much of the plot in my rather critical review, however there is a rather large twist in the film towards the end which will confuse viewers, as its very unexpected. Nevertheless, there is an underlying sweet storyline about Raif and his childhood crush, so the film isn’t all bad. Although Rufus Hound is primarily a comedian, he gives acting a good shot in this film and certainly comes across better than Robert Webb.
If you are planning to see it, don’t let me put you off. I’m just warning you – it’s far less hilarious and wetting yourself laughing funny than the trailer makes out.
