Our Family Wedding (2010)

Marcus Boyd (Lance Gross) and Lucia Ramirez (America Ferrera) are going home to announce their engagement to marry. Marcus' father Brad (Forest Whitaker) is a divorced radio personality. He keeps dating young girls. Her father Miguel (Carlos Mencia) doesn't even know that she has a boyfriend. The couple is moving to Laos where he's joining Doctors without Borders. They announce their wedding in front of both families during dinner but Miguel just tow Brad's car. To make things more awkward, Brad brings a date Ashley who actually played soft ball with Lucia. The fathers do not get along. Lucia's racist grandmother doesn't help. It's a clash of cultures as the fathers compete.The biggest problem is Forest Whitaker. He is way too serious to be any good in a comedy. The man is obvious into his rom-coms having directed mostly that. He just doesn't fit that world. Carlos Mencia is a lot better fit. The racial humor could work but it needs to be much sharper. The jokes are mostly from the bottom of the barrel. They're not the best. If they're going there, they should take some risks. Some of the characters are funny. America is likable. The grandma hits some funny moments but the story has limited substance.

But that's besides the point. I loved, loved, loved this movie! I am appalled IMDb, that this film has only received a 3.7/10 rating! Honestly, I was just making a review today about how the film industry needs a fresh take on things, something different, and this movie is it. It's been taken too harshly. Most movies are guilty of a few clichés here and there, but I felt this movie was so warm-hearted and genuine, and had a lovely message come across. You gotta admit, it took real cojones to make a movie about relationships we see everyday, but hardly talk about, out loud: Interacial couples. It had to be done... it's the 21st century, and I can barely list on my 10 fingers how many good films have been made about this topic. Guess Who (2005) comes to mind... but really, that's just sad that there aren't more interracial couples incorporated into movies, especially the big-budget ones. Pieces of April (2003) is another one, one that isn't listed as a comedy, but is in its own sense. Movies like these are dying to be made. There are so many cultures in the world, I would love to learn more about them. I actually learned from this movie too. I know traditions were always important when it came to weddings, but I didn't know it went as far as sacrificing a goat (don't worry, they don't actually do it). But I was cheering on Lucia (America Ferrera, love that girl) and Marcus (Lance Gross) the whole time.Just do it, watch this movie! It contains something soooo many movies are seriously lacking these days: CHEMISTRY! They actually seem like a real family. Don't worry, Carlos Mencia's acting isn't as bad as everybody says it is, Forest & Regina are just... bliss, I wish they really were a couple, and everyone else was just phenomenal. I did notice the lady who plays America's grandmother (Lupe Ontiveros) also played her mother in Real Women Have Curves (2002)... which only adds to the amazing chemistry! Ciao for now.

"Our Family Wedding" has some good actors and two great actors, Forest Whitaker and America Ferrera, but a horrible script. A young interracial couple travel back home to tell their families they're getting married and to plan a quick wedding. Their fathers, their cultures and their families clash. This is just rehashed material and no better than a poor man's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner".They were going for laughs, and although I did laugh-out-loud in a few scenes, most of the lines were just rude, and all of the characters, especially Whitaker's, were just being insubordinate. Every character had friction with one another and sometimes we weren't even privy to the reasons, so not only were we not laughing, we're frustrated as well.The few laughs were not enough to overcome the frustration and many pointless scenes. Even if they were going for drama instead, there is no sense of drama just from watching characters act in horrible ways because the script tells them to. I can't really recommend "Our Family Wedding", only possibly to die-hard fans of the genre and fans of America Ferrera. This is a Ferrera we haven't seen before, mature and subdued, and she at least was nice to watch.

Do not pay attention to the ridiculously low rating this film has accumulated. It's hardly one of the best movies you'll ever see, but it is overall much more enjoyable than not.The young leads are a charming, believable couple, and you do root for them.I thought the more obvious (meaning unfunny) racial jokes were actually kept to a respectable minimum, considering that culture clash is the main premise of the movie.Some scenes work better than others. One involving the families figuring out the "seating schematic" is quite clever and funny. One involving a bathroom is a rather shameless and unfunny ripoff of a scene from "Father of the Bride." Carlos Mencia, I have to say, I don't think is funny or a particularly good actor. I kept finding myself imagining someone else in the part (*cough* George Lopez... or anyone else, really). But he wasn't enough to ruin the movie for me.The best parts of the movie were the story with Forest Whitaker and Regina King, and anything with Charlie Murphy, who has a small but hilarious role. The one scene featuring him and Taye Diggs was the one time I laughed HARD. And yes, as another reviewer pointed out, the actress playing the sister was excellent.Most of the plot points are predictable, yes, but I didn't really hold that against "Our Family Wedding." I at least had a better time than I've had at most real weddings. I give it a 6 out of 10.