A wedding singer with a heart of gold and vocal chords of tin is jilted at the alter by his Elvira-looking girlfriend. In the aftermath, he finds a friend in a cocktail waitress who is also engaged to a less-than-deserving fiancé. He helps her plan her wedding as a favor, and in the process, the two fall in love. Sound good? It’s not. You see, “The Wedding Singer” stars Adam Sandler, who isn’t exactly known for his acting genius. It co-stars Drew Barrymore, the ’80s child star who forgot to grow up physically, mentally and theatrically. “Wedding Singer” is not simply bad, but follows in the illustrious footsteps of Sandler’s blockbuster hits “Billy Madison” and “Happy Gilmore.” When one of the most amusing part of the movie is how badly the lead character sings nostalgic ’80s power ballads and the funniest character is Billy Idol (played by an aged Billy Idol), the movie is in trouble. At the start of the movie, Rob (Sandler) is one week away from the wedding that he has dreamed of for his entire life. After being left at the alter by his Elvira-looking girlfriend, Rob can’t handle playing weddings anymore. It’s just too hard to be around all those happy couples. Enter Julia (Barrymore), a waitress at a reception hall. She’s innocent and kind, the stereotypical romantic heroine. She brings Rob back into the world of the living by asking him to help her plan her wedding to her slimy fiancé. In the process, Rob and Julia fall in love. Surprise, surprise. The plot of “The Wedding Singer” is easy to predict, boring and has been done a thousand times before. The predictable “twists and turns” of this badly written and poorly acted film don’t lose the viewer along the way or make the audience wonder what’s going on — they just make them wonder when it will be over. The plot is reminiscent of a late-night USA B-movie — unbearably unoriginal and, in reality, nothing more than a backdrop for the ’80s costumes and soundtrack. The costumes and music of “The Wedding Singer,” however, are what made the two hours and $6.50 almost worth it. Every time a song started, whether it be Culture Club’s “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” or Billy Idol’s “White Wedding,” a chorus of “I love this song!” and “Do you remember this one?” would echo throughout the theater. When one of the characters showed up at a party with the Michael Jackson silver glove and red leather jacket, the entire audience was transported to the time of “Thriller” and White Rain hairspray. When Julia’s fiancé buys her something called a “CD player,” which cost about $700, but “has great sound,” everyone remembered the days of cassette tapes and records. The plot of “The Wedding Singer” follows in the infamous footsteps of Crystal Pepsi and New Coke — it fails miserably. It’s badly written. The acting is atrocious. If you’re looking for a decent plot or a plot at all, look somewhere else. However, if you feel like taking a trip into the early ’80s, listening to some butt-rock, watching some androgynous singer wail Culture Club tunes or seeing more blue eyeshadow than all the grandmothers in the world have — all in one movie — “The Wedding Singer” is the ticket. It may not be a good movie, but it’s definitely a good laugh. |
