FTF: Five Favorite Films about Weddings

Happy Friday! It’s been yonks since I fired up this bad boy. Five things Friday started way back (I think probably 2013), and I’ve done a few here and there. I’d like to do some more in the future – I love lists so much, and let’s face it, they are so easy to put together! Today’s feature is about the age old institutional – tying the knot. There are so many movies focusing on weddings that it should probably be an entire genre on its’ own. There are so many! I’ve seen a ton, but I’ve never hidden the fact that I am able to enjoy the most gory and the most fluffy films equally as much:)

Let me know about your favorite in the comments section!

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5: Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement

Number 5 on this list was hotly contested, let me tell you. I ended up choosing The Royal Engagement because I’m such a huge fan of the Princess Diaries. It deviated quite badly from the books, but it managed to be pretty good. Anne Hathaway, Chris Pine and Julie Andrews are a power team in TRE, and the message is a bit lame but also strong – don’t marry for the wrong reasons (something that wasn’t already obvious), and what might seem as the best choice for you probably isn’t what you really want.

Wedding Crashers

4: Wedding Crashers

Can this film make the list? It isn’t about weddings in the way the other films here are about weddings, but it definitely deals with them. This movie is the top point of silly and has some hilarious moments. It is one of the few films where combining Vince Vaughn and Isla Fischer works, and I wouldn’t have thought it possible to combine two such horribly annoying people and get a proper result. The film also stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams and Christopher Walken, and those three alone can probably carry any film without too much effort.

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3: 27 Dresses (2008)

I actually smashed this movie in the review here. I do enjoy it though, and am frequently worried that I first have to be a bridesmaid 27 times before I get to put on a white dress. Anway, remember that Tinder post I put up? Still getting feedback from it which is great! Back to why I chose this as a favourite – it is about a girl that loves weddings and finds that her partner isn’t what she always expected her spouse to end up as.

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2: Runaway Bride (1999)

EEK! I love this movie. The only movie about weddings that could possibly be even more favoured than Runaway Bride is the one listed below. Julia Roberts has always been my girl crush. She’s so beautiful and smiley and talented. I loved Maggie Carpenter’s spirit and love for family and independence. Her matching with Richard Gere always results in chemistry and us wondering why they never made babies together. This film is all about identity and finding yourself before you end up with a partner – quite ahead of its’ time!

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1: The Princess Bride (1987)

❤ Is there more to say? This film is everything – Buttercup and Westley and their escape and love story ❤

Honorable mentions:

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Mamma Mia (2008)

When asked whether Pierce Brosnan can sing I would immediately think that he’s placed shortly under Rebecca Black for artistic capabilities. However, that didn’t stop him or Colin Firth going at it. This movie is definitely not for everyone. It is firstly a musical. Some of Abba’s most iconic songs get somewhat butchered (okay, a lot), and I’m sure I saw this listed as one of the films that make most heterosexual males feel suicidal. However, if you are game for watching Meryl Streep clearly having the time of her life, pondering why exactly Pierce Brosnan has such piercing blue eyes (he) and just want to watch people dancing and singing about love, this film is definitely something you can watch.

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The Five-Year engagement (2012)

I do remember this – it is Emily Blunt and Jason Segel and they are engaged for ages and end up wondering if it is worth it. I actually think long engagements are silly – its’ that thing if the guy is committed you don’t need to worry and I assure you, most modern relationships have enough things going on without having to make it seem more official. This movie didn’t suck at all, and although I can barely remember it, I think I enjoyed it at the time.

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Bride Wars (2013)

Despite this film rather pissing me off every time I watch it, I always end up watching it quite often. It is the most stereotypical of the lot, and perpetuates the notion that women turn into Godzillas the moment they get engaged. Just as a fact: the majority of brides I’ve worked with have been friendly and accommodating and calm, so it is once again a case where a few psychos make the entire bunch seem awful. It is also quite below Anne Hathaway to be degraded into the boring girl role – she’s immensely talented and deserves more. But like I said, I end up watching at least once a year for some strange reason, so I obviously don’t hate it that much.

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Made of Honour (2008)

I‘d like to watch this again sometime, but I do remember Patrick Dempsey and surprisingly Michelle Monaghan – why did I think it was Selma Blair?? I see this film holds a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but we all know the raters on there are really just haters. Made of Honor is so not Oscar material, but it was fun at the time!

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The Big Wedding (2013)

This cast is impressive AF – De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams are joined by a younger cast composed of Amanda Seyfried and Topher Grace. Okay, Katherine Heigl too, and I suspect that reviewers rate her badly on purpose. This movie is not that bad, but it can be seen as a bit boring though.

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Father of the Bride (1991)

LOVEEEE. Need to watch again to properly remember and review.

Dishonorable mentions:

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Monster-in-law (2005)

One of J-Lo’s better attempts at comedy, though without a doubt still rather low on the list of funny things.

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The Wedding Planner (2001)

Read my review here. It is such a stupid film man. I see JLo is quite frequent on this part of the list.

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Bridesmaids (2011)

Hmmm. Everyone LOVES this, though I don’t. I need to watch again to make sure this hate is accurate. It is a vulgar film and humour at its worst – just eugh.

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Sex and the City – the Movie (2008)

I never saw the show and can tell you jack shit about it. It was before my generation, and the one episode I tested out never caught. I did see the movie though, and it raises a few eyebrows in my head – this couple clearly never heard anything the other said.

Movies I haven’t seen yet:

Big Fat Greek Wedding

The Corpse’s Bride

My Best Friend’s wedding

The Wedding Singer

Well, there you have it. This post turned out way bigger than I thought, and I hoped you had as much fun as I did! Let me know what you thought in the comments below 🙂

Movie Review (The Big Wedding)

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Last Friday night we went out to watch the Big Wedding. We were looking for a romantic comedy to cheer up a friend, and we definitely found one. I was shocked when I saw that the movie got generally bad reviews – I really enjoyed it.

The story:

Don (Robert DeNiro) and his wife Ellie (Diane Keaton) split up after 20 years of marriage after Don cheated on her with Ellie’s best friend Bebe (Susan Sarandon). Don and Ellie have three children; Lyla, Jared and Alejandro, who they adopted from Colombia.

Alejandro’s wedding to Missy (Amanda Seyfried) promises to be entertaining when he asks his adoptive parents to make as if they are still married, to accommodate his birth mother’s traditional Catholic beliefs: that divorce is a sin. This understandably upsets Bebe, though she goes with the plan as a wedding gift to Alejandro.

The only daughter in the family, Lyla (Katherine Heigl) arrives in town after her separation with her husband. She is sad because of it, and also because she is incapable of getting pregnant. She is still angry at her father for his cheating ways, and throws up on him at the reception after a concussion.

Jared (Topher Grace) is somewhat a joke in his weird family – he chose to remain a virgin until he finds the one he loves. He is severely tested when Alejandro’s sister arrives, but his mother intervenes by telling her that American women are more restrained and she must treat Jared with respect.

At the wedding, Alejandro and Missy get married on the dock, ignoring the wedding guests and bridal party after every one hears all the scandal’s in Griffin family. Jared and Nuria sleeps together, after she realizes that Ellie had been telling her nonsense to protect her son, although Ellie is far from innocent in her sexual adventures. Lyla’s husband Andrew arrives after Don calls him, and she tells him she is finally pregnant with their baby. Bebe and Don also get married after their ten year relationship. The movie ends where Don puts up the new baby’s name on their family tree.

Rating: 6/10

I really enjoyed the movie. There are many funny moments, and the film managed an acceptable line between romantic comedy and drama. With my own sister’s wedding on the horizon, I hope the wedding doesn’t lose their sanity as much. I was impressed with Katherine Heigl’s performance as Lyla – her characters are usually shallow, and she managed to present this one as damaged and sad, but still capable of teasing and enjoying her family.

Weekend and stuff

Morning

This weekend felt like no weekend at all. This morning when my alarm clock woke me up, my first thought was: “Why is my alarm clock going off at five on a Saturday morning?” I know. Sad.

On Friday night we went and watched The Big Wedding. What a great movie! I was so impressed with the fine balance between comedy and drama. Superbly done. And Robert deNiro acted in it, which of course is 90% the reason it turned out great.

Saturday we shopped, and I finally got in the weekend nap I had been pining for the past few weekends. It was awesome. I then proceeded to loaf the entire day, but got in an hour on the stationery bike.

Sunday I finally managed to get my butt into church. It has been a while, especially since the morning services starts SUPER EARLY. I really enjoyed going though. Afterwards, I went into work, where I seem to be spending an insane amount of time at the moment. And after that, I went to a small meeting for the wedding. I am nearly done with the bachelorettes invites (FINALLY) and will be sending them out this week. Whoop!

My little sister, Melissa, is having her birthday this Thursday (the 18th).It also is our retired, world iconic president Mandela’s birthday as well. It has become a habit for South-Africans to give 67minutes of their time to charity to honor the 67 years he spent in prison for our freedom. This year, here at work, we will be painting a hospice as our tribute to him.

On Sunday I read about the death of Cory Monteith. I felt so sad. He was such a talented guy, and by all accounts a very decent one. Whether you liked Glee or not, you have to respect that he took part in a show which told kids that it was okay to be different. You will be sorely missed.

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On the book challenge, I started reading a Cathy Kelly book. Its progress was somewhat interrupted by the fact that I am re-reading Bloodlines (by Richelle Mead) again. Also, I found out that JK Rowling had been sneaky and had produced a crime novel under a pseudonym. It is called The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Gailbraith, and I am ON IT.

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Last week I managed to exercise four times. Exercising at the moment means that I am doing an hour each day on my bike. Which is good, but I am craving more intensity. I am re-joining the gym today, but I really need to get there from now on. The last time I left because I was just wasting my money.

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Technology is still pursuing its hateful revenge stint against me. My BlackBerry is now officially closer to being thrown against a wall. It just dies all the time. My Alcatel T10 tablet needs to be lauded as the toughest creation of our age. It survived its second crash to earth this weekend. I am most impressed.

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*The Alcatel OneTouch Tablet #amazeballs

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What did you do this weekend?