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Big Wedding, The (DQ)

2/10

Stars: Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Katherine Heigl, Susan Sarandon, Ben Barnes, Amanda Seyfried, Robin Williams, Topher Grace, Christine Ebersole, David Rasche Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1. Review date: 25 May 2013

Director: Justin Zackham

Based on a French farce, Mon Frère se Marie, but more reminiscent of an Italian sex comedy of the 1970s, this perfectly dreadful film somehow attracted a string of decent performers. Could they all have read tiro director Zackham's abysmal script? Are they perhaps all his relatives?

The appearance of Robin Williams in anything aspiring to comedy these days seems to be the kiss of death, and here he's at his most unctuous as the priest who gives newlyweds Barnes and Seyfried a truly embarrassing grilling prior to the nuptials.

Barnes' flaky mother (Keaton) arrives at the palatial family home just in time to find her (estranged) husband (De Niro) about to perform cunnilingus on his common-law wife (Sarandon). The priapic old goat also has eyes on his ex, but then everyone here seems to have had or is about to have most everyone else, not least the bridegroom's oversexed sister (Ana Ayora) who immediately starts fondling the family's virginal younger son (Grace) under the table; it's sort of OK as Barnes is adopted.

His older sister (Heigl), though, arrives having just left her husband. Pregnant, she vomits over everyone at the earliest opportunity.

Subtlety, as you see, is tossed into the family lake where most of the protagonists mercifully end up at the finale. Zackham's script contains only one good line, but unfortunately, it's De Niro's closing words. They're followed by credits which reveal that co-star Ebersole (as Seyfried's mom - yes, she's had everyone too, as well as a makeover) has a beautiful singing voice. A truly grubby film.

David Quinlan

USA 2012. UK Distributor: Lionsgate. Technicolor.
88 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 25 May 2013