2023 Movie
Dir. Sílvio Guindane · Brazil · Portuguese
A lighthearted Black Brazilian romcom with all the familiar wedding shenanigans
With plenty of films disavowing romance, sometimes, at the end of the day, you just want to curl up in bed to a cheesy romcom that earnestly believes in the power of true love. Wedding Games is one such romcom coming from Brazil, where the two lovers try to make their destination beach wedding perfect, despite multiple logistical mishaps along the way. It’s a totally generic wedding day story. It’s lighthearted fluff that doesn’t dive deep and contains all the familiar plot twists and comedic shenanigans, but it looks good and it’s done well. Wedding Games might not be particularly groundbreaking, but it’s not bad.
When Alex and Eva choose to exchange vows at the very spot they first crossed paths, a series of hilarious missteps derails their journey to the altar.
Alex and Eva decide to get married, but as the big day gets closer, a series of missteps and sudden opportunities cause the two to have doubts on their upcoming wedding.
Wedding Games doesn’t have a new premise and mostly plays out the way you’d expect from a romantic comedy. However, it still stands out with the film’s Black leads directed by a Black director. Despite Brazil’s diverse and multi-ethnic population, there aren’t many Brazilian romance films with Black leads, much less directed by a Black director, and they do fairly well given the story they were working with. Dan Ferreira and Dandara Mariana might not have a passionate dynamic, but they do have that casual, domestic chemistry that lovers in a long relationship have, and Silvio Guindane manages to make the film work with a decent production, including excellent afro, locs, and curly hairstyles. Storywise, it’s generic, but it looks great, even if it’s straightforwardly cheesy.
Look, Wedding Games isn’t new, but it’s not as bad as IMDB says it is. It’s perfectly okay.
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
Comments