If you’re looking at posters and stills of this film thinking, “I know exactly what will happen here,” you’re right. Whatever it is, you’re right. Mother of the Bride is the type of vacation-wedding movie that’s been done a thousand times better before. But a generic premise is one thing; it’s easy to forgive cliches when you’re doing it right and giving the audience something else to look forward to, be it hilarity or romance. Being generic and lazy, however, is a different and less forgivable thing. Brooke Shields is the only one who feels like she’s truly acting here as she physically and emotionally throws herself into a character who is, sadly, too thinly written to deserve this much effort. If you’re still wondering whether the movie’s worth playing for the sake of Mother’s Day, just know that you’re better off reading Hallmark cards—they’re way less sappy and require only half the effort to go through.
Lana's daughter Emma returns from abroad and drops a bombshell: she's getting married. In Thailand. In a month! Things only get worse when Lana learns that the man who captured Emma's heart is the son of the man who broke hers years ago.
When Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) and RJ (Sean Teale) announce their engagement, they’re surprised to learn that their single parents (played by Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt) share a storied past as former lovers.
Somewhere in this mush is an acidic comedy starring Shields, Bratt, and their friends where they try to rekindle their youth before finally accepting and acting their age. With some fine-tuning, it could be like a more refined and female-focused Grown Ups. Now that's something I'd watch, holiday or otherwise.
Someone please save Miranda Cosgrove before she gets permanently typecasted into “no personality beyond being a great influencer” roles.
