SPOILERS THROUGHOUT.

The wedding Date seems to be getting a lot of ratings of 1 and 10 respectively. I do not think this was either great or dreadful. The movie was most definitely entertaining and I loved the concept but there is no denying the movie had flaws.

As far as romantic comedies go, this one was pretty fun to view at times. What made it that way was Dermot Mulroney plain and simple. He played the part of the charismatic escort perfectly. His performance was a 10 of 10 and with a lesser actor in this role this movie could have potentially turned out dreadful because while Mulroney's Nick had an edge the rest of the movie certainly didn't.

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT POST:

Wedding Date was a book first which I have happened to read (I think it had a different title.) The book was much better overall. There were a few major flaws here: First the movie didn't develop Kat and Nick's relationship at all. When it starts she has already hired him. That alone is a problem because the audience is immediately thrust into watching the unfolding of a relationship between two people they've been given no time to develop any rapor with. The story is just thrust on us without any lead up or introduction. It's like there's an assumption we are supposed to know Kat and root for her but she's never even been properly introduced to us. I was a bit disappointed with the way the movie started with no leadup at all.

Second is the unrealistic relationship between the two-escort and client. I am not saying that two people in this situation could not fall in love(Julia and Richard convinced me in Pretty Woman.) But with wedding Date there is no enfolding of their relationship. One minute their strangers, then he's her shrink, then they flirt a little then some sex then they can't live without each other. But their relationship never plays out on screen. We never see them getting to know each other and as such, it feels hopelessly contrived when they do fall in love. It's made worse by the fact that in the few moments that ARE devoted to the two of them interacting we can see that this couple has chemistry. But to much was squeezed into the movie in to short a time.

Another problem-how Nick is depicted. At first I didn't think that would be a problem because Mulroney really played Nick well and gave him just enough charm coupled with a certain street smart quality and brooding sexiness that he seemed plausible. The matter of fact way he says to Kat that sex costs extra-it was done well and believably. There were some really good lines such as each woman has the love life she wants and his comment to Kat about how do you know I'm being myself? Even all the girls falling for him at the wedding and everyone confiding in him I could believe because-well-he's an escort and it's his job to charm people. So he's good at his job and charms everyone.

So for a time I really did think that part anyway, was going to be OK. That was before the sex.

After that point, any reality that Nick's character may have held fell away quickly-and that's not Mulroney's fault because as good as he was he had no control over the dialog. And what dialog it was too. The word dialog is the key-unless I can somehow believe that a savvy young escort, who never gets emotionally involved with clients and only a short time ago was trying to get his client to pay him for sex, would then say to the same client a short time later, (meaning it, no payment involved),bearing in mind this is a customer he'd only just met a very short time before and there were no signs of major feelings between them,: I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met.(or something close to that.)

I am not sure if they were doing a Jerry Mguire or something but "You had me at hello" sounded and felt real. This just sounded and felt rehearsed. I am not saying perhaps this wouldn't really happen somewhere to someone but I didn't believe Nick would say this to Kat. I mean you never saw anything between them for most of the movie except sex. So the limits of believability were really tested.

LASTLY-This guy-how did he come to be an escort? That is never explained. He is a bit to perfect, why isn't he running one of Donald trump's companies? Shouldn't we have been told WHY he became an escort, who this man was?

OK-now that I've listed the negatives-I'd still rate it a 6. It was fun and entertaining and a bit above many romantic comedies in the last few years because these two people were actually interesting. If the movie did not have the problems I mentioned I'd probably rate it an 8 because the entertainment factor was there, there was some mild comedy and most of all, was Mulroney's performance. I hadn't ever been a major fan of his before and in all honesty wouldn't have first thought of him for the role of mysterious escort, he seemed to boy next door to fit the part but he not only fit it, he made it his. The chemistry between him and Messing also helped make the movie, chemistry can make or break sometimes and these two had it.

I'd watch this again if it came to television. But I wish it had a bit more edge. More focus should have been given also to Nick as a person. Many of the elements that made Pretty woman a success were not present here and that's to bad. But for what it was it was a bit above average.

Now I have nothing against romantic comedies, some I like, some I don't(it's like that with all genres really),but when I saw the Wedding Date I thought it had its moments but it was also rather dull and limp.

Good things: The scenery is very striking and evergreen, and the cinematography is beautiful. The soundtrack gives the film its charm, while overall the acting was alright; Dermot Mulroney is suitably suave, while Debra Messing and especially Amy Adams are cute and charming in their roles.

The not so good things: Especially in the middle half, the film drags badly, so some parts feel pedestrian. The characters I didn't really care for, I especially hated the character of Jeffrey. The story is very predictable and dull, while the script is unfunny and thin and the direction is limp.

Overall, has its moments as I've said but I don't necessarily recommend it I am sorry to say. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Kat Ellis (Debra Messing) is stressed out over the marriage between her younger half-sister Amy (Amy Adams) and Edward Fletcher-Wooten (Jack Davenport). She's afraid to run into her ex Jeffrey (Jeremy Sheffield),and she hires a male escort Nick Mercer (Dermot Mulroney) to pose as her boyfriend.

It's a British comedy with a bunch of American actors. The transAtlantic jokes aren't translating that well. It has a few mildly humorous jokes, but the movie is overall a rather poor comedy. And it doesn't help that it gets so serious.

Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney have limited chemistry. He's too cold, and a little dirty as a male gigolo. She's too stressed, and a little bit angry. Oddly, they're the only thing worth watching in this movie. The tone is so uneven that it really can't maintain any flow to the movie.