Table 19: Liebe ist fehl am Platz

Trailers are notorious in over-promising for movies that under-deliver. But every now and then, one pops up that does the opposite. The trailer for Table 19 (2017) gives the impression of a lightweight romantic comedy with a touch of slapstick, all framed around a wedding. Despite being critically panned by many, there is more to this unexpectedly entertaining low-profile film than meets the eye.

The heroine is Eloise (Anna Kendrick) who, against her better judgement, accepts a wedding invitation knowing she is persona non-grata with the bridal party. She was recently dumped by the bride's brother, who is now the best man, and she is suddenly no longer the bride's best friend. She was the chief helper with the reception planning and knows who is at every table and why they are here. Her companions on Table 19 comprise a lovable granny-type, two oddballs, and a quarrelling married couple. They were all expected to decline their invitation but still send a gift, and that alone is a recipe for humour and satire. Their distance from the bridal table and proximity to the toilets quickly establishes their lowly social status and the comic sketches play on social awkwardness. The thread of continuity is through Eloise and her manhunts. The standard sit-com one-liners and the obligatory near-catastrophe with a wedding cake are neither original nor particularly funny, but the situation develops a warm emotional undercurrent that is unexpectedly touching.

One of the interesting things about this film is the difference between its plot and story. The plot is standard wedding reception comedy which laughs at the marginalisation of unwanted guests. On the other hand, the story explores why the Table 19'ers are together. It offers insight into their lives, their personalities, and the emotional hurt caused by being placed on the social fringe. The best part of the film is when the offended "randoms" leave the reception for a while to console each other. Through flashbacks we get the back-story to their invitations which range from pathetic to comic. For example, the granny-type really believed she was invited because the bride fondly remembered her first baby-sitter, but the bride barely knows who she is. There is also a wannabe trying to lose his virginity, a weird guy straight out of prison, and a couple who are far from an inspiring example of a loving marriage.

Anna Kendrick plays the perfect balance between awkward, aggrieved, and aggressive, and the randoms are standard comic stereotypes. But while our eyes are on Elosie, the warmth of the story come from her table companions. The gags are at snicker level rather than belly laughs and the cinematography is colourful and cluttered as wedding receptions often are. There is no shortage of embarrassing moments as Eloise stalks her men, both old and new, and the final scenes rise through melodrama to operatic farce. But this film offers a fresh take on standard rom-com themes in amusing and entertaining ways…. and it might make you think twice if you need to create a seating plan.

the film with that cast - Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson, Toni Revolori being some of my favorites - could really have been fun and truly enjoyable. But a good cast doesn't make a good script. I wonder how tailored each role is for the cast, I'm guessing apart from Anna's role not so much? Not sold on the bulk of the film / the main pairing much so that was particularly not enjoyable for me. However, June Squibb was lovely and Stephen Merchant was a welcome oddball (though the humor overall of the film doesn't really land). Conclusions for other story lines were not really satisfying and there was cheesiness all through out.

So I loved this movie! It's a brilliant single setting-ish script about various "reject" guests at a wedding table with Anna Kendrick in the lead. It's like "The Breakfast Club" of wedding movies.

The script is witty, intelligent and the attention to detail for the set, specifically with the wedding band and their selection of songs, was sublime. Bravo to the Duplass brothers on pulling together a very well-made and well-thought out film.

Lisa Kudrow shows she still has great talent and her deadpan comedy is still funny. And the pairing of Kudrow with Craig Robinson as her husband was genius, they actually pair off of each other really great.

Anna Kendrick's character Elsie dreads going to her former best friend/former boyfriend's sister's wedding. She meets the other rejects at the table and explains the pecking order of the wedding tables. Elsie meets a dashing stranger Huck, confronts the former boyfriend/bride's brother, and the Table 19 guests have quite the day with unexpected twists.

Highly recommend.

This is a pleasant, enjoyable movie that will appeal to everyone- especially those who are on the outskirts of life and do not quite fit in. Anna Kendrick is one of six characters who have been invited to a wedding. Each of the characters does not quite fit the mold of someone you would really enjoy hanging out with so they are seated at a table far away from the bride and groom. Kendrick is the ex-girlfriend of the bride's brother and she still pines for him. The others are a group of quirky characters. Those at Table 19 slowly begin to learn about each other and work together to help Kendrick and each other through a series of mishaps. This leads to a number of scenes that will have you chuckling throughout the movie.

It's Francie Millner's wedding. Her oldest friend Eloise McGarry (Anna Kendrick) reluctantly accepts the invitation and is relegated to sit with the unwanted randoms at Table 19. Her ex Teddy is Francie's brother and the best man. She is joined by diner owning couple Bina Kepp (Lisa Kudrow) and Jerry Kepp (Craig Robinson). There are also the released prisoner Walter Thimble (Stephen Merchant), awkward mama's boy Renzo Eckberg, and long ago nanny Jo Flanagan (June Squibb).

This starts off as a light quirky comedy. It takes a couple of dark turns and ends up with an awkward mix of light and dark tones. The group, filled with great comedic talents, grew on me and I find myself wanting to sit at the bad table. It's mostly due to June Squibb and her sincerely touching nanny Jo. There is one twist that does upend much of my expectations. Huck needs a higher caliber actor to give the movie a better misdirection. Despite the little problems, I really fall for this group.