Jenny's Wedding

Jenny's Wedding is an under-appreciated film that I think will surprise many of you. It is one of many fine quality films that I find myself asking: Why didn't this get more than just an extremely shallow limited release? It certainly deserved better than only grossing a paltry $6244 worldwide, especially considering the end product.

Piloted by veteran screenwriter-director Mary Agnes Donaghue (Beaches, White Oleander), the movie starts with a well written script. It is bolstered by fine performances across the board from a talented cast that includes Katherine Heigl, Tom Wilkinson, Linda Edmund, Grace Gummer and Alexis Beidel. It's crew achieved high production values that would compare favorably with films 5 times their budget. It has all the ingredients to be a fine film and delivers on that promise.

Jenny's Wedding problem lies in Hollywood's inability to label it and know how to sell it rather than the film itself. It never meets the expectations unfairly placed on it by others to be a film it never pretended to be. It never was intended to be a laugh a minute comedy or a sappy love story or even a bold message film. It is an honest portrayal of how family members when placed in unfamiliar waters, may surprise or disappoint, themselves and others in how they act.

I think this film benefits greatly from being seen with out any expectations. I had the benefit of watching this film without seeing the trailer or reading the blurb, both which reveal too much about the story. I enjoyed how the story unfolded, the slightly surprising but not shocking plot twist, and the unpredictability of how family members act and react when conflict arises. It had a credible balance of painful and feel good moments that any normal family goes through. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Jenny's Wedding and hope you will too.

5.3 is way too low for this movie. An emotional family drama dealing with an uptight family's anxieties and prejudices and although the film is a fantasy and on the side of the angels it plays out what should happen if a family had to turn round and accept what is unacceptable to them. It is nice to see a main stream film that is not just the usual tired romantic comedy.

The actors do a good job. Tom Wilkinson and Linda Edmonde are excellent as the parents and have the meaty roles to play as they have the difficult journey to take. Family dynamics are played out well as a background to the story as well as the social network that the parents live in.

Jenny's Wedding, for the most part, has been discarded and labelled below average amongst most film critics and the public, therefore I began watching this film with preconceived ideas. Films consisting of gay female relationships are sparse, and ones that are watchable are even rarer, however this happened to fall into both categories. The problem arises when viewers deem the focus of this film to be something different to what it is, many people comment on the lack of chemistry between Heigl and Bledel, whereas upon watching the film it is clear the lack of screen time they actually had together played a part in that, and the film is less about their relationship as such, and much more focused on Heigl's family and their relationships with each other and Jenny respectively. Needless to say it was a sweet, feel-good film that; of course, has a plot which has been done many times before, but still kept me watching until the end.

I was really excited to see this movie, hoping that a decent romance movie would be made that I could enjoy but it didn't happen. The plot may well be about Jenny coming out to her parents but it actually focus's way to much on that. Jenny's fiancé 'Kitty' is a washed out character with little to no back story and emotion.

The whole movie is about her wedding or thats what the title is and she's getting married to a cardboard figure. Bedel did a great job with adding facial expressions to make up for the lack of lines but the script just bombed her character to hell.

The rest of the movie is actually decent, and the mother daughter relationship is okay if a little overwrought. It doesn't make up for the fact that the movie's premise sucks and flops and there's one recurring thing about grass that made this movie a 6/10 not a 7/10 because it was so f*&king stupid.

All in all, its okay and if you don't care what you're watching and want to throw some cash at the movie to entice other directors and script writers to make movies with LGBT members than do, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.

What could have been a very important and thought provoking movie, Jenny's Wedding falls completely flat. Katherine Heigl plays herself as she has in most of her movies. Bomb after bomb has brought us full circle to her post Grey's Anatomy career where her celebrity wave is about ready to crash. Although it is another one of her typical acting roles that she has had since 2007's Knocked Up, the role of Jenny is one of her best opportunities to show that she is a good actress. However, the subject matter is beyond out dated to this point. If this movie was to come out in 1995, then the critics would have been talking about how taboo and thought provoking this movie is. To play it safe, Jenny's Wedding premieres in 2015 where the subject matter is no longer on the "front burner." The supporting cast is as strong as their leading lady. Ir should I say ladies. The Lifetime style direction only adds to the basic 90 minute movie that leaves the audience somewhat entertained and far from informed about the journey Jenny goes through to keep the love for her family. Nothing special nothing new. In fact, Jenny's Wedding is far from anything new.