“An explosive marriage” is a romantic comedy with action inserts starring Jennifer Lopez and debuts today directly in streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
It seems incredible that the diva, in the fourth film of her career with reference to the wedding in the title, throws herself body and soul into such a boorish film project, especially considering that the previous film, “Marry Me”, was really delicious.
“An explosive marriage” is ridiculous, bland and without identity. Full of antics and stunts contrived, the film also boasts an unnecessarily vulgar comedy.
Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) are on an island in the Philippines for their wedding ceremony, along with friends and family. There are Darcy’s parents, the very rich Robert (Cheech Marin) and the snobbish Renata (Sonia Braga), grappling with resentment over the divorce, and there are Tom’s parents, the feisty Carol (Jennifer Coolidge) and the succubus Larry (Steve Coulter).
The unexpected arrival of her old flame, the handsome Sean (Lenny Kravitz) only increases the tension between the spouses, also because the ex-boyfriend works with his father-in-law, while the future husband is unemployed as a professional baseball player left without an engagement. The couple has one furious lite before the event, but it is a problem soon diminished by the arrival on site of pirates who take guests hostage with the intention of charging a millionaire ransom to the father of the bride. It will be up to Tom and Darcy to try to save their loved ones.
Insipid interpersonal dynamics, action without verve and lack of chemistry between the protagonists. There is almost nothing to salvage, perhaps the ongoing creative destruction of the wedding dress that will eventually gain real appeal through misadventures.
Colorless the presence in the role of co-star of Josh Duhamel, third choice after the refusal of Ryan Reynolds (remained as producer) and the expulsion of Armie Hammer (talked about for harassment). As for Lopez, queen of the so-called perennials (the over 40s with an indecipherable age), is recruited for a character who is fifteen years younger than her real ones and can certainly afford it.
Sure, Lenny Kravitz is always a timeless sex symbol and Jennifer Lopez’s attractive fans will go crazy for the sequence of the run on the beach in which the charms of the diva are confirmed as among the few genuine in Hollywood, but really the charm of two stars can be enough to tolerate a film that is the quintessential mediocrity coarser? If you value your free time, the answer is no.
Also because the criminal custom of summarizing the entire film for once in the trailer is useful: only the nice moments are shown in two minutes and then diluted in the useless hour and forty.
Ultimately “An explosive wedding” is not only a silly and predictable film but also one of the most pathetic and least funny of these years.
