Say "I Do" to Our Family Wedding

Writers:  Wayne Conley, Malcolm Spellman and Rick Famuyiwa

Writer:

OUR FAMILY WEDDING

Director:  Rick Famuyiwa

Writers:  Wayne Conley, Malcolm Spellman, Rick Famuyiwa

Lucia Ramirez:  America Ferrera
Marcus Boyd:  Lance Gross
Brad Boyd:  Forest Whitaker
Miguel Ramirez:  Carlos Mencia
Angela:  Regina King

I saw the trailer for this movie about 5 times, and the urge to jilt  this over-the-top zany multi-cultural-bride-and-groom family-not-into-the-wedding RomCom was overwhelmingly irresistible.  But as fate would have it I showed up at the theater thinking I was seeing the new version of the overtop comedy Death at a Funeral, only to find out that Our Family Wedding was playing, and that I had made an obvious error (Wedding = Funeral :)

So I decided to make the best of it and check it out, even though I had heard less than stellar mumblings about this movie.  But then again, I am "Jane Public", not some Harvard trained journalist looking to grammatically and sociologically lambast a movie.  What I look at for a comedy is the enjoyment factor (i.e. laughs per minute).  And I have to say that this movie definitely delivered, even if it was always with a tongue in cheek, cheezy, over-the-top, stereotypical methodology.  But isn't that what always scored big at the box office?....the no-brainer, bring it to me in-the-most-obvious-fashion movies?

The story is based on a mixed couple, Lucia (America Ferrara) and Marcus (Lance Gross), coming home to tell their respective families that they are getting married.  Lucia is Latina and Marcus is African American, so we already know that this movie wouldn't be getting made if it wasn't going to be fireworks, right?  Unfortunately, Lucia's father Miguel (Carlos Mencia), who owns a garage,  and Marcus's father Brad (Forrest Whitaker), a popular radio DJ, have already met earlier that day as Miguel tows Brads illegally parked, expensive sports car, with accompanying name-calling like Cuz and Bro.  Some may call this a step backwards, but the theater I sat in, filled with a mixed ethnicity, laughed hysterically at every twist and turn, as the obvious stereotypes were displayed.....for exactly the purpose of laughing at, at seeing how ridiculous (and sometimes true) they are.

Both families are at odds with things, as simultaneously Lucia's mother is going through a marriage identity crisis, Lucia and Marcus have secrets that they need to reveal, old Grandma is stirring up trouble, Brad is realizing that he can't have relationships with both his attorney and every young chippie in the city and alot of "who is the wedding really for?" issues are occurring.

Not a Pulitzer prize winning script for sure, but all of these concocted we've-seen-it-before things are mixed and ground like a Mojito into a concoction that you can't help but laugh at.  Good for a chuckle, and a sound sleep at night knowing that this is one mixed up world, but if we would just stand back and enjoy, it will all work itself out.