The Big Wedding

While the original French sex farce was an amusing trifle, this American remake is a crass, crude, mean-spirited, smarmy mess, unredeemed by a star-studded, multi-generational cast. “Marriage is like a phone call late at night,” intones Robert De Niro, as the dysfunctional family story begins. “First comes the ring, and then you wake up.” Missy (Amanda Seyfried) and Alejandro (Ben Barnes) are getting married. What complicates their nuptials is that Alejandro was adopted as a young boy from Colombia and raised by the Griffins, who already had two kids. Alejandro's devoutly Catholic, biological mother (Patricia Rae) is coming to the wedding—but Alejandro never told her that his adoptive parents, Don (De Niro) and Ellie (Diane Keaton), got divorced, or that Don's been happily cohabiting for 10 years with Bebe (Susan Sarandon), Ellie's best friend. Because they love Alejandro, the principals agree to “pretend” that the divorce never happened. Predictably, the charade backfires when lewd, lecherous Don and giggly Ellie once again share the master bedroom. Also present are the other now-grown Griffin children: unexpectedly pregnant Lyla (Katherine Heigl), who has just separated from her husband, and Jared (Topher Grace), her 29-year-old still-virginal doctor brother, who immediately falls for Alejandro's sexy, skinny-dipping Colombian sister, Nuria (Ana Ayora). Adding to the turmoil are a parish priest (Robin Williams) and the bride's prejudiced parents (Christine Ebersole, David Rasche). Based on Jean-Stephane Bron's 2006 film Mon Frere Se Marie, this formulaic, ploddingly directed remake by Justin Zackham is not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (16 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a lame comedy.] (S. Granger)