Our Family Wedding Review: Cancel Your RSVP

When watching the previews for Our Family Wedding, I was reminds a lot of Guess Who, so I’m not sure why I was expecting any less buffoonery than Ashton and Bernie Mac had provided for me. Maybe it was because America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) were both cast. (The man is an Oscar winner, gosh darnit! And didn’t America win an Emmy?) So, I was looking for a comedy that had a little crazy but was essentially about families coming together, settling their difference and making a statement about how love is love, no matter what culture or what obstacles must be overcome.

I can’t say that this wasn’t one of the film’s main missions; though, it clearly wasn’t the main focus. The stereotypes were at the center of this Rick Famuyiwa romantic comedy, bad overused ones at that, which made the film a whole lot less endearing than it could have been. I guess I misplaced my expectations because I hadn’t previously heard of Famuyiwa or the writers Wayne Conley and Malcolm Spellman.

The story follows the engaged Lucia (Ferrera) and Marcus (Lance Gross of House of Payne) who must tell their parents about their decision to marry each other and join their families as one. If one big bomb wasn’t big enough, Lucia is also dropping out of Columbia Law School to teach and Marcus is joining Doctors Without Borders. To make matter worse, the two have no idea that hours prior to making their big announcement, their fathers have already had words of their own. Brad Boyd (Whitaker) is Marcus’s dad and a well-off LA radio DJ, who runs into Miguel Ramirez (comedian Carlos Mencia), Lucia’s father, when Miguel tows Brad’s car. Lots of flailing and shouting follow and this basically continues for the rest of the movie.

Luckily there are some grounded women in this film in Sonia, Miguel’s wife and Angela, Brad’s best friend, played by Diana Maria Riva and Regina King respectively. They add some much needed sanity, but also remind me of what kind of tone the film could actually have had. The kids quickly realize that it may be “our marriage” but it’s “their wedding” and hi-jinks ensue, from searching for the perfect wedding dress to creating the seating charts to meeting the extended family and friends.

What’s most disappointing is not necessarily the acting. Though Mencia doesn’t fit the role perfectly, he surely tries, and Gross, little-seen on the big screen, is extremely like-able and believable and puts in the best performance in my opinion. His connection with Ferrera is very convincing and the star of the film. Whitaker and Ferrera are as great as you’d expect great actors to be in with not-so-great material. And there’s the problem. The writing doesn’t effectively mix sincerity and silliness, to the point where it comes off like oil and water. (See: the anti-climactic climax of the goat scene.)

While it’s nice to see a different kind of romantic comedy filled with different kinds of people, I just wished certain parts had been toned down and stereotypes hadn’t been so heavily relied upon. I believe this would lend to a more heartwarming and realistic story and that is actually funnier.

Photos by Scott Garfield – © 2009 TCFFC