‘The Wedding Date’ amuses audiences

Reel Reflections

Weddings automatically equal stress — without the additional complications of ex-boyfriends and emotional baggage. Clare Kilner’s "The Wedding Date" tells the ridiculous story of how the main character, Kat, handles the ordeal of her sister’s wedding. Additionally, viewers watch Nick as he helps Kat overcome her ambiguous feelings about her ex of seven years and her pessimistic mindset on relationships.

Like all others before it, this chick flick follows the romantic comedy formula passed down through the ages. Boy and girl meet, they fall for each other in about an hour of reel time. Then, the twist in the plot temporarily turns the relationship sour. Will the lovers get together in the end? Of course they will. The romantic comedy formula has stood the test of time and in "The Wedding Date," it remains equally as strong.

While this is not Debra Messing’s ("Along Came Polly") first time on the big screen, it is her first leading role, and she makes a smooth transition from television. No stranger to comedy, Messing plays the smooth-talking Kat, a slightly distressed Virgin Atlantic customer service agent with a broken but mending heart. Messing’s amusing antics get her in and out of trouble along the way.

An apparent favorite for hilarious wedding flicks, Dermot Mulroney ("My Best Friend’s Wedding") commands the attention of the audience. Mulroney brings raw, sexy sensuality to the screen — emphasized by one delectable scene of his rock-hard midriff. "The Wedding Date" is adapted from "Asking For Trouble," a novel by Elizabeth Young. The framework Young provided, combined with the movie’s witty banter, keeps audiences sufficiently amused.

Starring: Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rated: PG-13
Three and a Half out of Five Paws