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‘Mother of the Bride’ Review: Brooke Shields Says I Do to Netflix’s Aggressively Inoffensive Rom-Com
A high-strung widow reunites with her ex-flame at her daughter’s destination wedding in 'Mother of the Bride,' a respectable yet unremarkable rom-com.
Mere seconds after her extravagant proposal, Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) begins fretting to her fiancé RJ (Sean Teale) about how to frame their engagement to her judgmental widowed mom Dr. Lana Winslow ( Brooke Shields), who doesn’t even know her only child has a steady beau. Though there are fleeting moments of clever creativity that add interest, specifically the orchestrated situations dealing with heartthrob doctor Lucas (Chad Michael Murray), its predictable, calculated scenarios lead to a plateau of energy from the get-go. There’s no feeling connoted through aesthetic stylization, as when Regina George’s betrayal dawns on Cady in “Mean Girls” or the curse transference between mother and daughter in “Freaky Friday.” There are few grand movie moments to match the heart-swells in “Just Like Heaven” or the red dress reveal in “He’s All That.” The closest we ever get to something of tangible value are a sunset slow dance between the former lovers and copious drone shots of the sprawling resort property in travelogue-style transitional sequences.
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