Allison Janney, Kristen Bell, and Ben Platt in a scene from ‘The People We Hate at the Wedding’ | Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video
a brilliant artist does not grow people we hate in marriage To the level of a great movie. Based on Grant Ginder’s 2016 novel of the same name, the film sees a dysfunctional, blended family come together with the drama, tears, laughter and eventual understanding expected at a wedding.
people we hate in marriage
the director: Claire Scanlon
Throw: Allison Janney, Ben Platt, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Kristen Bell
Order: 99 minutes
Story: Marriage seems like the perfect place to bring a dysfunctional family together…or maybe not
Once upon a time, says the narrator (Adam Godley), there was a girl named Donna (Allison Janney) who was married to the humble, extremely wealthy Henrik (Isaac de Bankole). They had a daughter, Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson). When Donna catches Henrik sleeping with the nanny, he leaves London and returns to the States. She then married Bill (Andy Daly) and had two children, Alice (Kristen Bell) and Paul (Ben Platt).
As children, all three were rough as thieves when Eloise spent time with her mother and half-siblings during the holidays. As they grew older, they started declining. Both Alice and Paul are not in a good position in their lives. Alice is seeing a married man who is also her boss, Jonathan (Jorma Taccone), while Paul’s boyfriend, Dominic (Karan Soni), is controlling. Paul also holds a grudge against his mother for what he sees as her erasing Bill so soon after his death. They resent Eloise, her wealth and her privilege, and think she has things easy when they struggle.
Eloise is desperate to belong to a family and sees her upcoming wedding as a way to bring everyone together, including Donna and Heinrich. While Donna is always optimistic and thinks this is a good idea, her children do not. A series of events lead Alice and Paul to London to be married to their surprising Chipper mother.
After tears, tries, pissing on shoes, threesomes, and a fight with a furious wife who hasn’t slept in four days, it all finally comes right. The film moves smoothly with a well-worn rom-com track. The cast is easy on the eyes and who doesn’t love weddings, even if the bride slumps over the candles being off-white instead of white?
There’s nothing to hate about the film and, unfortunately, nothing to love – it’s the kind of movie that provides lighthearted and completely forgettable entertainment.
The People We Hate at the Wedding is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video