This year for Mother’s Day, Netflix paired up with Suddenly Susan star Brooke Shields (remember that show?) for a fluffy nonsensical destination wedding movie. To help round out the algorithm, I mean “cast”, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Chad Michael Murray, Rachael Harris, and Wilson Cruz are all along for the ride. This Netflix film, inevitably conceived through the algorithm,, written by AI, and directed by… Mark Waters? What? Wait, what? This thing is from the director of Mean Girls? Dammit.

So now, we all have to take this film a bit more seriously, because instead of hiring that one person who directed an episode of Jane The virgin and later Search Party for their feature directorial debut, from a screenplay written by someone who needs to not write screenplays, it is from a rather successful director, who has proven he understands things like comic timing, casting, and framing his actors in scenes that work. This film really does none of those things, makes you think Brooke Shields hasn’t read a screenplay in the last decade, and relies on the charm of people who seem like they are being held hostage against their will to film this. Remember Shotgun Wedding? It’s like that, but with more of a Hallmark Vomit Of The Week vibe.

It’s just kinda one of those films that really isn’t that bad, because it is paint by numbers filmmaking. A destination wedding, so it can be pretty, and everyone is out of their element and can go sight seeing, and random people at the resort can just pop up and serve as potential romantic love interests. You’ve already seen this movie, you just don’t know it yet. How much you are able to like or tolerate this film really depends on how much you like any of these actors. Brooke Shields fans will likely enjoy seeing her working again, in a fluffy film with no consequence. I’m sure Miranda Cosgrove’s fans will feel the same. But some people will find this derivative, and impossible to relate to as everyone always is beyond gainfully employed. Netflix needs more shows and films about people who make 30-40K a year.

While I was delinquent in getting the audio description information, this is just a film that is all about this wedding. It’s easy to track the movements, and the characters, since they never do anything of consequence. but Netflix paid to have this movie shot in this beautiful tropical location because they thought that was the appeal, and while characters head off to see things, or hang out on the beach, and try on goudy bridesmaids dresses, that’s the stuff to lean in on. even though this film is all about the lack of reality, it’s an indulgent fantasy that people live vicariously through these characters. “Perhaps I can be an influencer like Cosgrove’s character, or rich like Bratt’s character.” That fantasy is present is so many picture perfect Hallmark films, and it has bled into this.

I’m disappointed Mark Waters couldn’t do more with this. it feels like he gave up, and let his 2nd AD make all the choices and just signed off on them. It is so shockingly average, and the tonal opposite of fetch.

Final Grade: C