Destination Wedding

Pessimists Frank (Keanu Reeves) and Lindsay (Winona Ryder) are about as cynical as cynics can be. With little in common other than their mutual disdain for the wedding ceremony they have been invited to – which conveniently happens to be that of Lindsay’s ex-fiancé and Frank’s half-brother – the two of them manage to keep a visibly low profile amidst the antics they face on their weekend away in the sunny Californian region of San Luis Obispo. But after a series of events which adamantly compel them to engage with one another on a number of solo occasions, the pair realise that there is more to it than meets the eye. With new-found feelings emerging, each must decide whether to take the bull by the horns and pursue the love affair, or play it by the circumstantial rulebook and let their passion subside.

Destination Wedding is the antithesis of what would normally be expected of a traditional romantic comedy in the sense that protagonists Frank and Lindsay are really the only characters to hold the entirety of discourse in this 90-minute feature – a blessing for diehard Reeves and Ryder fans, maybe not so much for cineastes for whom the film is a little dialogue-heavy and static in artistic direction. With picturesque backdrops present throughout, mainly those of prairies and vineyards, the vast expanse of wide shots overriding the close-ups between the couple overshadow the significance of their ever-growing connection, making the duo appear, at times, detached from viewers.

Sharing some positive parallels with Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight trilogy, the screenplay of Destination Wedding is nevertheless generic and predictable, with the ending quite easily fathomed from an earlier point in time. The movie does, however, achieve something; through its anti-romantic undertones, it presents a more pragmatic view of life, championing the concept of living in the moment and highlighting the importance of seizing the day.

Ghazaleh Golpira

Destination Wedding is released in select cinemas on 10^th May 2019.

Watch the trailer for Destination Wedding here: