Romantic comedies centering on weddings and intersecting relationships are not really my forte, but I have to admit that this one, against high odds, is rather charming and amusing.  Most of Dennis Dugan’s movies don’t amuse me; I still cringe thinking about Problem Child (1990), his directorial debut.  On the other hand, he helmed Happy Gilmore, one of Adam Sandler’s better efforts.  Anyway, I wasn’t expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Dennis Dugan’s film follows Jessie (Maggie Grace) as she gets the gig to plan the wedding for Boston’s next mayor and his girlfriend; meanwhile the fancy wedding planner originally hired (Jeremy Irons) begins a relationship with a blind woman (Diane Keaton); meanwhile tour guide Ritchie (Andrew Batchelor) searches for his Cinderella after seeing her on one of his tours; meanwhile two contestants chained together for a TV game show (hosted by Dennis Dugan) try to elude mafia men while being followed everywhere by a film crew; meanwhile two brothers working as a band begin to go their separate ways when one gets a girlfriend, even though they are hired by Jessie to sing at the wedding.  You can see where most of this is going, if you have ever before watched a movie . . .

The surprise is that most of it works.  Even the TV game show element, which was painful at the beginning, actually finds some laughs to mine in its absurdity.  Sweetness pervades much of the proceedings, while love comes and goes.  Keaton’s character teaches Irons about blindness and the difficulties of the handicap in modern America; Ritchie looks and looks for his passing fancy and finds a passel of swooning admirers from which to choose, but not the face for which he is searching.  The film trades, quite successfully, on its media savvy, from the beginning where Jessie interrupts a dream wedding from up above, to how the characters use local TV to tell their stories and search for their loved ones.

It all doesn’t up to much more than a Lifetime holiday movie, I’m afraid — and yet I was surprisingly satisfied at the end.  These characters grew on me, and there are moments both endearing and funny.  The wedding reception at the climax hits just the right tone, especially involving the choice of music, to sustain its feel-good vibe.  This isn’t Shakespeare, but it is an enjoyable time, and that’s enough.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  30 September 2021.