The Wedding Planner

Last updated
The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Adam Shankman
Written by
  • Michael Ellis
  • Pamela Falk
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Julio Macat
Edited by Lisa Zeno Churgin
Music by Mervyn Warren
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • January 26, 2001 (2001-01-26)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million [1] -$35 million [2]
Box office$95 million [3]

The Wedding Planner is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, in his feature film directorial debut, written by Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk, starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey.

Contents

Plot

Ambitious San Francisco wedding planner Mary Fiore is re-introduced to childhood acquaintance Massimo by her father Salvatore, who wants them to marry, but Mary declines. Hoping to persuade her boss, Geri, to make her a partner at their company, Mary is hired to plan catering heiress Fran Donolly's society wedding to long-term boyfriend "Eddie". While reporting her success on the phone, Mary's shoe heel gets stuck in a manhole cover. As she struggles to free herself, a taxicab collides with a dumpster that comes hurtling towards her. A nearby man pulls her out of the way of the speeding dumpster just in time, and she manages to thank him before fainting.

Waking up in the hospital, Mary meets her rescuer, pediatrician Steve Edison. Her colleague Penny persuades Steve to attend an outdoor movie with them, but makes up an excuse to leave the pair alone together. Mary and Steve dance to an alfresco screening of “Two Tickets to Broadway” [4] starring Tony Martin and Janet Leigh [5] but are interrupted by a heavy downpour before they can kiss.

At a dance lesson with a client, Mary encounters Fran, who introduces her to her fiancé "Eddie," none other than Steve. Fran leaves them to dance together, and Mary angrily rebukes Steve for leading her on behind Fran's back.

Penny persuades Mary that her career is more important than her feelings and to continue planning Fran and Steve's wedding, and Steve's colleague assures him that his connection with Mary is only due to pre-wedding nerves.

On a visit to a potential wedding venue in Napa Valley, Massimo appears and, to Mary's horror, introduces himself as her fiancé. While riding through the estate with Fran's parents, Mrs. Donelly's singing frightens Mary's horse. Steve rescues Mary again and admonishes her for condemning his actions when she was also engaged.

At home, Mary scolds her father for trying to set her up with Massimo. Salvatore reveals that his marriage to her mother, which Mary has viewed as the perfect relationship, was arranged and only became a loving relationship months later, leaving Mary conflicted.

While visiting another potential venue, Fran reveals she is going on a week-long business trip and leaves Mary and Steve to continue preparations. They apologize for their angry words and soon become friends. They run into Wendy and Keith, whom Mary reveals was once her fiancé until she caught him cheating with Wendy, his secret high-school girlfriend, on the night of their rehearsal dinner.

After getting drunk and struggling to get back into her apartment, Mary breaks down, lamenting that Keith is married and expecting a baby while she is alone and miserable. Steve manages to get Mary inside and comforts her as she sobers up, insisting that Keith was a fool to pick Wendy over her. Steve leaves but quickly returns and confesses his feelings for Mary. She sadly replies that she respects Fran too much to let anything happen between them and sends Steve away.

Fran confesses to Mary that she is unsure if she is still in love with Steve. Ignoring her own heart, Mary convinces Fran to continue with the wedding. At a birthday party, Massimo offers Mary a heartfelt proposal, and she reluctantly accepts; the two couples prepare for their same-day weddings. Leaving Penny to coordinate the Donelly wedding, Mary goes to marry Massimo at the town hall. Steve asks Fran if they are doing the right thing, and she admits that she does not want to get married. They part as friends, Fran leaving to enjoy their honeymoon alone. Penny reveals Mary's marriage plans to Steve, and he rushes to stop her.

At the town hall, Massimo and Mary prepare to marry, but her father stops the ceremony, realizing the wedding is not what Mary wants. Mary, having given up on true love, insists that life is not a fairy tale and that marrying Massimo is the right thing to do but realizes he is not the one for her and leaves.

Steve arrives to find Salvatore and Massimo, who reveals that he could not go ahead with the wedding knowing Mary was actually in love with Steve. Steve reveals his feelings to Salvatore, who tells him to go and get her. Steve and Massimo ride off on Massimo's scooter to the park, where another outdoor movie is starting. Steve finds Mary, asks her to dance, and they kiss.

Cast

Production

Casting

The original actors set to play Mary and Steve were Jennifer Love Hewitt and Brendan Fraser, respectively. They were replaced with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. Both couples eventually dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Buffy The Vampire Slayer for Gellar, leaving Lopez and McConaughey to be the eventual stars.[ citation needed ] [6]

Locations

Many of the scenes were shot in Golden Gate Park, specifically at the Music Concourse (between the old De Young Museum and the old California Academy of Sciences), the Japanese Tea Garden and The Huntington Library and Gardens. The first wedding ceremony is filmed inside the chapel at Stanford University. [7]

Reception

The Wedding Planner was released on January 26, 2001. [3]

Box office

The Wedding Planner was screened at 2,785 theaters and grossed $13,510,293 on its opening weekend (the Super Bowl weekend), opening at number one at the box office. Jennifer Lopez's sophomore album J. Lo reached the number one spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart the same week, making Lopez the first and to-date, only person to ever achieve this feat.[ citation needed ] The film grossed $60,400,856 domestically and earned a worldwide tally of $94,728,529. [3]

Critical reception

The Wedding Planner received generally negative reviews from critics. Based on 106 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "Rotten" rating from critics, with 17% positive reviews and an average rating of 3.9/10. The consensus reads, "Instead of being light and charming, this romantic comedy is heavy-handed and contrived in its execution. Also, it's too unoriginal." [8] Metacritic gave the film an average score of 33 out of 100, based on 29 reviews from mainstream critics. [9]

Entertainment Weekly 's Lisa Schwarzbaum critically compared the film to My Best Friend's Wedding , writing that: "Where Julia Roberts turned the world on with her huggability, Lopez's vibe is that of someone afraid to get mussed. And where Rupert Everett was divine as a sidekick, McConaughey is mortally ordinary as a main dish who spends most of his time smiling like a party guest." [10] Kimberly Jones of The Austin Chronicle noted that the two leading characters being mistreated was the biggest disappointment from The Wedding Planner, feeling that while Lopez and McConaughey have "enormous charisma" (referencing Lopez's work on Out of Sight (1998) as an example) the "blandness of The Wedding Planner burlap-sacks their appeal in an altogether dowdy outing for two stars who deserve much snazzier threads." [11] A writer from The New York Times wrote that the charisma of the movie's stars along with their goofiness makes "The Wedding Planner more painless than it has a right to be." [12] Variety 's Robert Koehler described The Wedding Planner as: "an attractive bridesmaid but hardly a gorgeous bride among romantic comedies." [13] Michael Thomson from the BBC wrote that: "Unfortunately, after the two leads become less wired in each other's presence, and the sexual tension begins to droop, everyone seems to be reading an autocue." [14] The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for Lopez.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Lopez</span> American singer and actress (born 1969)

Jennifer Lynn Affleck, also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American actress, singer and dancer. Often dubbed the "Queen of Dance", Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking barriers for Latino Americans in Hollywood and helping propel the Latin pop movement in music. She is also noted for her impact on popular culture through fashion, branding, and shifting mainstream beauty standards.

<i>A Night at the Roxbury</i> 1998 film by John Fortenberry

A Night at the Roxbury is a 1998 American comedy film based on a recurring sketch on television's long-running Saturday Night Live called "The Roxbury Guys". Saturday Night Live regulars Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, Mark McKinney, and Colin Quinn star. This film expands on the original Saturday Night Live sketches where the Roxbury Guys were joined by that week's host, and bobbed their heads to Haddaway's hit song "What Is Love" while being comically rejected by women at various clubs.

<i>Father of the Bride</i> (1991 film) 1991 film directed by Charles Shyer

Father of the Bride is a 1991 American romantic comedy film starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, George Newbern, Martin Short, BD Wong, and Kieran Culkin. It is a remake of the 1950 film of the same name. Martin portrays George Banks, a businessman who becomes flustered while he and his family prepare for his daughter's marriage.

<i>Saving Silverman</i> 2001 film by Dennis Dugan

Saving Silverman is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black and Amanda Peet. Neil Diamond has a cameo role playing himself. In the film, Darren Silverman's longtime friends try to save him from marrying his controlling new girlfriend, whose behavior threatens the friends, their band, and Darren's chance at happiness with his lifelong true love.

<i>Angel Eyes</i> (film) 2001 film by Luis Mandoki

Angel Eyes is a 2001 American romantic drama film directed by Luis Mandoki and starring Jennifer Lopez, Jim Caviezel, Terrence Howard, and Jeremy Sisto. Written by Gerald Di Pego, the film is about a mysterious man who finds himself drawn to a female police officer with whom he forms a relationship that helps each to deal with trauma from their past. The original music score was composed by Marco Beltrami. The film received ALMA Award Nominations for Outstanding Actress and Outstanding Director.

<i>Rumor Has It</i> (film) 2005 American film

Rumor Has It is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine and Mark Ruffalo. The concept of the screenplay by Ted Griffin is that a woman learns that her mother and grandmother may be the inspiration for the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office disappointment, grossing $88.9 million against its $70 million budget.

<i>Date Movie</i> 2006 American romantic parody film

Date Movie is a 2006 American romantic comedy parody film written by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, directed by Seltzer, and produced by Paul Schiff and Friedberg. It was released on February 17, 2006 by 20th Century Fox and stars Alyson Hannigan, Adam Campbell, Sophie Monk, Tony Cox, Jennifer Coolidge, Eddie Griffin, and Fred Willard. It is a parody of the romantic comedy film genre, and mostly references My Big Fat Greek Wedding,Meet the Fockers, Hitch, Legally Blonde, and Bridget Jones's Diary. Though reviews for it were more positive than Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's later films, Date Movie was panned by critics but was a box office success, grossing almost $85 million on a $20 million budget.

<i>Margot at the Wedding</i> 2007 film by Noah Baumbach

Margot at the Wedding is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach. It stars Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, John Turturro, and Ciarán Hinds. The film is about the familial storm that arises when Margot, a writer, comes to visit her sister Pauline on the eve of the latter's wedding.

<i>27 Dresses</i> 2008 film by Anne Fletcher

27 Dresses is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, and starring Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released in the United States on January 18, 2008. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $162.7 million against its $30 million budget.

<i>Ghosts of Girlfriends Past</i> 2009 film by Mark Waters

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Mark Waters. The script was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. Filming spanned February 19, 2008 to July 2008 in Rhode Island with stars Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Lacey Chabert, Emma Stone, and Michael Douglas. The film was released on May 1, 2009.

<i>My Fake Fiancé</i> 2009 American television film

My Fake Fiancé is a 2009 American television film starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. It premiered on the ABC Family channel on April 19, 2009.

<i>The Back-up Plan</i> 2010 American romantic comedy film

The Back-up Plan is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin. The film follows a woman who aims to be a single mother through planned pregnancy, but soon falls in love with a man who wants to father her unborn children. It was released theatrically in the United States on April 23, 2010, by CBS Films. The Back-up Plan garnered negative reviews from critics, who praised Lopez's performance but criticized the generic script. It was a box-office success, grossing $77.5 million against a production budget of $35 million.

<i>A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride</i> Canadian TV series or program

A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride is a 2008 television film directed by Leslie Hope and starring Joanna García and Luke Perry. The film originally aired in Canada on December 15, 2008, and in the United States on December 20, 2008 on Lifetime. The screenplay concerns wedding planner Roxanne (García), who tries to foil her mother's plans to marry a man she just met by sabotaging their Christmas wedding. But she soon finds herself falling in love just as quickly as her mother did.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Lopez filmography</span> Filmography

Jennifer Lopez has starred in over thirty feature films in a career that spans four decades as actor Lopez rose to become the highest paid actor of Latin descent in Hollywood, and one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood during the late-nineties and into the current millennium, making in the region of US$20 million per film role. She is also the richest actress in Hollywood, with an estimated net worth of $400 million.

<i>Standing Still</i> (film) 2005 American film

Standing Still is a 2005 American romantic comedy film directed by Matthew Cole Weiss and starring an ensemble cast including Adam Garcia, Amy Adams, Aaron Stanford, Melissa Sagemiller, Jon Abrahams, Mena Suvari, Colin Hanks and James Van Der Beek. Written by Matthew Perniciaro and Timm Sharp, the film is about a group of lifelong friends who reunite at a wedding and revisit their complicated relationships of the past. The film was Matthew Cole Weiss's feature film debut as a director.

<i>Christmas Wedding Planner</i> 2017 Canadian film

Christmas Wedding Planner is a 2017 Canadian drama romance film, directed by Justin G. Dyck and screenplay by Keith Cooper. The film is based on Once Upon A Wedding by Stacy Connelly.

<i>Marry Me</i> (2022 film) American film by Kat Coiro

Marry Me is a 2022 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kat Coiro, with a screenplay by John Rogers, Tami Sagher, and Harper Dill. Based on the 2012 graphic novel of the same title by Bobby Crosby, it stars Jennifer Lopez as Kat Valdez, a superstar, who decides to marry Charlie Gilbert, a math teacher holding a "Marry Me" sign, after learning that her on-stage bridegroom, Bastian (Maluma), has been having an affair.

<i>My Big Gay Italian Wedding</i> (film) 2018 Italian film

My Big Gay Italian Wedding is a 2018 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Alessandro Genovesi. It is based on the off-Broadway play My Big Gay Italian Wedding by Anthony J. Wilkinson. The film stars Salvatore Esposito and Cristiano Caccamo as fiancés Paolo and Antonio; Diego Abatantuono and Monica Guerritore as Roberto and Anna, Antonio's parents; and Dino Abbrescia and Diana Del Bufalo as Donato and Benedetta, Antonio and Paolo's flatmates.

<i>Shotgun Wedding</i> (2022 film) 2022 film directed by Jason Moore

Shotgun Wedding is a 2022 American romantic action comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Mark Hammer. It stars Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, Sônia Braga, Jennifer Coolidge, Lenny Kravitz, and Cheech Marin. After being filmed from February to April of 2021 in Boston and the Dominican Republic, Shotgun Wedding was released in Singapore on December 28, 2022, and was released on January 27, 2023, by Amazon Studios via Prime Video.

<i>This Is Me... Now</i> 2024 studio album by Jennifer Lopez

This Is Me... Now is the ninth studio album by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on February 16, 2024, via Nuyorican Productions and BMG Rights Management, marking her first release under this partnership.

References

  1. ↑ "The Wedding Planner (2001) - Financial Information".
  2. ↑ "The Wedding Planner".
  3. 1 2 3 The Wedding Planner (2001). Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  4. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044158/
  5. ↑ https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/the-wedding-planner-1200466314/
  6. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jan/30/sarah-michelle-gellar-interview-wolf-pack-buffy
  7. ↑ "Story Notes for The Wedding Planner". AMC. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  8. ↑ "The Wedding Planner - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes (Fandango). Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  9. ↑ "The Wedding Planner". Metacritic (CBS Interactive). Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  10. ↑ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (2001-01-31). "The Wedding Planner Review | Movie Reviews and News". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2012-11-03.
  11. ↑ "The Wedding Planner - Film Calendar". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2012-11-03.
  12. ↑ Scott, A. O. (2001-01-26). "FILM REVIEW; Some Things Just Can't Be Planned". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ Koehler, Robert (2001-01-18). "The Wedding Planner - Film Reviews". Variety . Retrieved 2012-11-03.
  14. ↑ Thomson, Michael (2001-03-22). "Films - review - The Wedding Planner". BBC. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.