Jennifer Lopez long ago cemented her place in the world of romantic comedies, with some of her best rom-com movies including 2022’s Marry Me and The Wedding Planner, but she’s also found success in projects of other genres, including Hustlers and Enough. Her latest venture, Shotgun Wedding, seeks to combine some of her talents. The new comedy, which will stream on Amazon’s Prime Video, stars JLo and Josh Duhamel as a couple whose destination wedding gets threatened by more than cold feet and opinionated families. The reviews are in, so let’s see what critics have to say.
Shotgun Wedding hit a few bumps in the road en route to its upcoming January 27 release, namely the casting of Josh Duhamel to replace Armie Hammer as its lead amid Hammer’s cannibalism text controversy. Now the Transformers actor will be the one teaming up with JLo to save Tom and Darcy’s families from the armed wedding crashers holding them hostage. Let’s get to the feedback, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Shotgun Wedding. Our own Corey Chichizola rates the movie 4 out of 5 stars, saying Duhamel’s late addition isn’t obvious, as he’s got great chemistry with Lopez, who gives her funniest performance yet. The review continues:
Shotgun Wedding is a total blast. Literally. The movie is laugh out loud funny, with humorous and thrilling action. JLo has never been funnier, and the over-the-top comedy is a great start to the moviegoing year.
Alex Maidy of JoBlo agrees, saying that it’s obvious that the cast and crew enjoyed themselves on set. The critic says Lenny Kravitz, Cheech Marin, D’Arcy Carden and others in supporting roles are great. He rates the film a “Good” 7 out of 10, basically saying come for the action-comedy, stay for Jennifer Coolidge wielding a machine gun:
I appreciate that this is not a sanitized movie for broad audiences and doesn’t shy away from blood and burns, but I would have liked it if it pushed the envelope a little more than it did. The story keeps things moving, but it never digs into the supporting characters as much as it could have. Nevertheless, seeing Jennifer Coolidge with the automatic unloading of a hail of bullets on a tropical island is worth the price of admission. The movie was clearly a blast for the cast to make, which comes through in the finished product.
Many critics made mention of Jennifer Coolidge, who is hot off of her Golden Globe-winning performance on Season 2 of The White Lotus — even if not everyone was happy after her lengthy story at the awards. While Guy Lodge of Variety has issues with Shotgun Wedding overall, the critic says Coolidge does more than her share to make the jokes land. Lodge’s take:
It’s intermittently stolen, however, by everyone’s favorite Jennifer of the moment, Coolidge, as the gaffe-prone mother of the groom. Not handed great lines by [writer Mark Hammer], J.Cool has the gift, shared by few in this ensemble, of making them funny anyway.
Ella Kemp of IndieWire also notes Jennifer Coolidge’s contribution to the movie, as well as leading lady Jennifer Lopez, but is less impressed with the “frustratingly average” overall product. The critic grades the film a C+, saying:
It is the kind of mid-tier rom-com with a twist you’ll find at the peak of Lopez’s early-aughts box office success: a galvanizing stage for Lopez to introduce us to the most basic iteration of the ‘strong female character.’ In one scene, Darcy rips up her bouffant wedding dress to reveal stomping combat boots where her dainty marital heels once were. Lopez is smart enough to offer genuine resourcefulness and emotion to such a trope, channelling just as much fun as the watery script allows.
Marya E. Gates of The Playlist, meanwhile, doesn’t find much upside to Shotgun Wedding, grading it a D and calling it an “interminable slog,” arguing that the characters are undeveloped and the only memorable moments are spoiled in the trailer. The critic continues:
Director Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) does not have a hold of this material or his cast. Despite its stacked ensemble, the characters are paper-thin and there is no sense of who anyone else is in relation to each other aside from what we’re told via the dialogue in the script from Mark Hammer (Two Night Stand). Moore never holds long enough on any cast members for them to add nuance through glances or body language. On top of that, neither Moore nor Hammer are able to find a balance between the various comedy styles at play, mixing screwball patter, deadpan one-liners, and physical slapstick without any rhyme or reason.
The critics may not all be in agreement about Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel’s new action comedy, but if this sounds like one you want to check out, you can do so starting on Friday, January 27, with your Amazon Prime Video subscription. Be sure to also check out our 2023 Movie Release Schedule to start planning your next trip to the theater.
