License to Wed will make any couple think twice before consenting to pre-marital counseling. Young lovers Sadie (Mandy Moore) and Ben (John Krasinski) agree to undergo her minister’s crash course in marriage preparation, a requirement of getting hitched at St. Augustine’s Church.
Robin Williams Takes it Over the Top
Although the couple seems perfectly suited, Reverend Frank (Robin Williams) employs unconventional (i.e., sadistic and perverse) tactics to determine if the lovers should wed. He forces Ben into an uncomfortable word-association game with his future in-laws, plants microphones in their apartment to ensure they abstain from sex, gives them an obnoxious pair or remote-controlled babies to clean up after, and sets up arguments for them in front of other couples enrolled in his pre-marital program.
Williams as Reverend Frank has his funny moments, but mostly he’s just mean-spirited and manipulative as he shoves unnatural obstacles in the path of the unsuspecting couple. It’s no surprise when Ben and Sadie eventually break up because of the preparatory course.
Supporting Characters Try Their Best in License to Wed
Aiding the riffing Reverend in his unholy mission is a pint-sized preacher called Choir Boy (Josh Flitter). This character lacks charm, humor, and scruples, existing merely to perform some of the surplus dirty work that Reverend Frank can’t handle. He, along with the R/C babies and two additional children dumped on the couple for an afternoon, should be enough incentive for Ben and Sadie to remain chaste for quite some time.
Sadie’s recently divorced and bitter sister, Lindsey (Christine Taylor), Ben’s foot-in-mouth best friend Joel (DeRay Davis), and Sadie’s rich, handsome male friend Carlisle (Eric Christian Olsen) who also happens to collect expensive sports memorabilia and be an expert on gourmet cheese, add to the chaotic pre-marital mix. Although the leads and supporting cast do all they can for laughs, the script waits too long between comedy set-ups (and not all of them work).
DVD Bonus Features on License to Wed
Included on the DVD are additional scenes with optional commentary from director Ken Kwapis. He provides an excellent explanation for why a lengthy sequence about Ben’s bachelor party and Sadie’s bachelorette party were deleted from the theatrical version. A special feature “Ask Choir Boy,” in which Reverend Frank’s young helper takes call-in questions about love, sex, and marriage, is sometimes cute, but had the potential to be much funnier – which could also be said for License to Wed in general.
- License to Wed
- Starring Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, John Krasinski, Christine Taylor
- Director: Ken Kwapis
- Run Time: 91 minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (sexual humor and language)
- DVD Bonus Features: Subtitles (English, French, Spanish), deleted scenes, alternate ending, “Ask Choir Boy”
For more reviews of comedy films on DVD, read Dan in Real Life on DVD and Blades of Glory on DVD.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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