Destination Wedding

"Destination Wedding" turned out to be a wonderfully offbeat movie, and I was genuinely entertained throughout the entire movie. I had initially expected it to be just another generic romantic comedy given the fact that it had Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves on the cast list.

Writer and director Victor Levin had really managed to come up with something unique here. While the movie is set around a romantic topic, it is approached from a side angle, as the two characters aren't the ones getting married, but instead are two fringe characters attending the wedding of their half-brother and former husband. And it worked out so nicely that both Frank (played by Keanu Reeves) and Lindsay (played by Winona Ryder) were characters deeply troubled by issues.

This was definitely one of the better performances that I have seen from Winona Ryder in a long, long time, and I will say that she was really well-cast for the role of Lindsay. And while one might argue that Keanu Reeves is reinventing himself with the "John Wick" movies, then he is phenomenal as Frank in "Destination Wedding", because he really nailed the offbeat character so well. And put together, then Ryder and Reeves really have fantastic chemistry on the screen.

I am glad that writer and director Victor Levin opted not to go for a traditional romantic comedy here, and instead giving us "Destination Wedding" as it turned out to be. If you haven't already seen this wonderful movie, then you definitely should take the time to do so if you are given the chance. This was a wonderfully humorous and memorable movie.

I laughed almost from start to finish. Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder are adorable together as two ridiculous people in a ridiculous situation. Anyone who likes dry humor and flawed, broken characters will love this movie.

I managed to see this on Amazon streaming. As it began I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to finish it, and at the 7 minute mark both characters seemed so dysfunctional that I considered abandoning it, but I didn't.

While there are several characters listed, only two of them speak, all the others might as well be background extras. It is a unique approach but it works pretty well.

Keanu Reeves is Frank and Winona Ryder is Lindsay. They meet, sort of, while waiting to board a plane, but it is all friction. Then they end up on an 8-passenger plane to San Luis Obispo, and they are seated next to each other. As they compare notes it turns out they are both headed to the same destination wedding in a Paso Robles vineyard. In fact she is the groom's old girlfriend and he is the groom's brother.

All this makes for a number of funny situations, the enjoyment of the viewing depends on how well one likes the two actors. He is jaded, doesn't believe relationships can ever work out beyond quick encounters. She is the romantic, she believes everyone has a special person somewhere in the world.

The funniest scene is when they encounter a mountain lion as they take a walk after the wedding. Then out of character get amourous with each other.

I suspect many viewers will really hate this experimental movie but I enjoyed it as something quite different.

Definitely not your average rom com, full of cynicism, sarcasm, and dry humor. Ryder and Reeves make the perfect pair, there rapid fire responses make for hilarious banter. Storyline goes a little slow sometimes, and the same conversations are repeated throughout, but you can't help but relate. The hideous imposition of someone else's wedding and the certain joy of finding someone as cynical as you.

Watching unpleasant characters onscreen isn't always a fun thing to do, so casting Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder is very smart. They're both charismatic. In their fourth film together, are clearly having a great chemistry, and they won me over. Ryder is a gifted actress, and Reeves, manages to turn his signature woodenness into comedy. And together? It's a powerful force. This story about two narcissistic, cynical characters could quickly have become irritating, but writer-director Victor Levin takes an interesting approach to nearly every scene and his dialogue is relentless. This film isn't the romantic comedy that audiences are hoping for but it's very entertaining and is a must movie theater destination. nikisreviews.gr