Where I Watched it: hulu

English Audio Description?: No

What do you get when you pair Richard Gere, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, William H. Macy, Ema Roberts, and Jake Lacy together in one film? You should get something amazing. Honestly, there is no real excuse. however, in the directorial debut from Michael Jacobs, who worked lot as a producer in the 90’s on shows like boy Meets World, we got the equivalent of a student film.

i know this was probably made on favors and handshakes, and the bulk of the budget went to talent, but there’s no real excuse for this film to feel so lifeless. Even the actors, all great in their own right, seem disconnected at times from their own scripts and dialogue, with awakened pauses, and conversations that feel far more staged than natural. The problem with buying legends is that we’ve all seen what they can do when given great work. hell, we can see what they do even when given mediocre work. I would argue each of these actors has rescued a previous film through their own force of nature. But, none of them could really save this.

The entire film is based on the idea that these two couples, that are oddly wrapped up already, get even more so when their respective children consider marriage, and figure it’s time for the parents to meet. problem is, they already have. Keaton, who is married to Gere in the film, just spent a night contemplating the possibility of an affair with Macy, who is unhappy in his marriage to Sarandon, who is sleeping with Gere. problem is, no one knew those connections, until everyone is forced into a situation. It’s something that should work, and looks good on paper, yet somehow Jacobs manages to make it the dullest time at the movies.

I can think of several star studded releases that were critically lambasted and flopped that are way better than this. The legendary flop Town and country, starring Warren Beatty and many others, is ten times funnier. The Big Wedding, another overstuffed cast, also is way funnier. And, it’s not like either of those films are good. But, they flow a lot better than this.

For Keaton, she’s been stuck doing garbage bin films aimed at seniors for a while now, which is such a shame. With all the streaming services making tons of limited series, and banking entire shows around casts like this, I cannot imagine these actors cannot find something worth their weight.

Sadly, I personally know someone in the cast, who isn’t one of the main six, but managed a small role. I know they are proud of their work, and loved this experience meeting these tremendous talents. I’d love to be able to tell them, great job. But, i really can’t. This is depressingly awful on levels I haven’t explored in some time.

I’m a big fan of boy meets World, and I would have loved nothing more than to come here and staunchly defend jacobs from the naysayers. However, he gives me very little to defend. The movie starts with the least interesting opening credits. As a blind person, without audio description, had I not watched this with a sighted person, i wouldn’t have assumed the movie starts with credits against black. I’d just be waiting for something to happen. Nothing quirky about the opening titles. They had no budget for quirky titles. The score is almost non-existent, the movie is almost entirely interior shots to probably save money, and it all truthfully falls flat.

There is one glimmer of about five minutes in the middle of the film where there starts to be a promise that the film might improve. it’s that moment we’ve spent far too long waiting for, when everyone is forced to meet. At least, these actors managed to capture just enough lightning in a bottle to make this first scene all together work on some level. The rest of the film is so incredibly dull.

not even George Feeney would have liked this.

Episode Grade: D