Review of License to Wed (2007) by Mimi S — 28 May 2014

Although I'm a big fan of Robin Williams, this is another flat film about your average young American couple getting married. I really can't stand films about getting married, but I thought I'd give this a go as I love Robin Williams. Robin Williams is the only good thing about this film and is amusing in his role as the quirky priest. It's not his best role, but he's a hell of a better actor than the rest of the cast. License To Wed is about a very vanilla couple, Sadie (Mandy Moore) and Ben (John Krasinski), who are newly engaged. Sadie wants to get married at her family church but in order to do so the couple have to undertake a marriage course thought up by the eccentric Reverend Frank (Robin Williams). Reverend Frank pushes the couple to the limits in order to test how compatable they are and whether they really know what they're letting themselves in for when they get married. The course pushes Sadie and Ben to the limits and makes them question whether or not they're really right for one another.

This is just a very silly and unrealistic film which tries to go to the extremes in order to be funny, but just ends up failing. It's a formula that's been done a million times before. I was just hoping that Sadie and Ben would break up because they seemed so incompatable for one another. The acting was average at best; I really cannot stand Mandy Moore. She's honestly a terrible actress whose transitioned from girly teen films to forgettable below average rom-coms. John Krasinski is also average in this, though better than Mandy Moore and I give him brownie points because I think he's quite good-looking in a goofy sort of way :P. However the characters were a bit bland and boring. If this sort of marriage course really existed I think any sane couple would refuse to go through with it. The only good thing about this film apart from Robin Williams is that it highlights that marriage isn't easy and not something that shouldn't be taken lightly. Also the fat kid that is Reverend Frank's sidekick is quite funny. Other than that this film is nothing to write home about.

Grade: D-.