We’re getting close to the point at which we can no longer have the smell of death encircle films as they move straight to streaming, the same review is applicable to “Shotgun Wedding,”” which fills each barrel and features Jennifer Lopez, late-replacement Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Coolidge and still fires blanks. The film is available in the US through Amazon however, even the invitation to attend is not worth it.
Even for an action film that was produced by Lopez, this film is heavily skewed toward placing every thing that can entice someone to check out the trailer, starting with the image of Coolidge lifting an automated weapon in defense of the wedding. While she’s hot off of “The White Lotus” she’s not able to be able to redeem the uninteresting execution.
The film therefore becomes more interesting due to its behind-the scenes note, which was the decision to cast Duhamel to take over the role of Armie Hammer. Hammer quit the project in 2021 following unsettling accounts about his interactions with different women. The questions surrounding his social media postings were addressed in the upcoming film “House of Hammer.”
The casting switch definitely isn’t the issue, but it is possible to disagree with the mathematical reasoning behind Coolidge as Duhamel’s mother. The biggest mistake was stranding on a gorgeous location (the Dominican Republic, standing in for the Philippines) and then bringing moth-soiled scripts to take on the trip.
Duhamel’s Tom the baseball player is the one who has planned each aspect of his wedding ceremony for Darcy (Lopez) the bride, and it will be held on an island that is private. The two are in a heated argument triggered by the arrival of her ex-boyfriend’s gorgeous ex (Lenny Kravitz) who shows to the wedding without having RSVPed the heavily-armed pirates arrive and take everyone else at the wedding celebration hostage.
The intruders in masked disguises (masks are a great idea considering the film’s merits) are looking for Darcy’s rich dad (Cheech Marin) to give him millions of dollars as a payment. However, he’ll wait until he is sure Darcy is secure, when she and Tom reluctantly enter Rambo mode and fight in a guerrilla warfare against pirates, while fighting back during their quiet moments.
The film is directed with Jason Moore (“Pitch Perfect”) The film features some pretty impressive stunts (again and all on the film’s trailer) sprinkled throughout the movie including Darcy as well as Tom trying to fly to safety. In the majority however, it’s an uninspired effort on nearly every level, and seems to be sold heavily on the concept of watching Lopez traverse the jungle wearing a worn wedding dress.
Lopez’s last rom-com that was not awe-inspiring, “Marry Me,” was released simultaneously on the streaming site Peacock along with in theatres. This highlights the thorny commercial landscape of this genre, putting problems with quality aside.
While the film may get an theatrical release in a few countries outside of in the US, “Shotgun Wedding’s” streaming debut will at least save those who are responsible for one possible box-office snub: throwing an extravagant, extravagant celebration, only to have no one attend.
“Shotgun Wedding” debuts on January 27th at Amazon within the US and selected theaters across the globe. The film is classified as R.
