License to Wed (2007)

Director:

Ken Kwapis

Writers (WGA):

Kim Barker (screenplay) and
Tim Rasmussen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 July 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

First came love... then came Reverend Frank.

Plot:

A reverend puts an engaged couple through a grueling marriage preparation course to see if they are meant to be married in his church.

Plot Keywords:

Church | Priest | Wilhelm Scream | Premarital Counseling | Marriage Proposal

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Reverend Frank
Mandy Moore	...	Sadie Jones
John Krasinski	...	Ben Murphy
Eric Christian Olsen	...	Carlisle
Christine Taylor	...	Lindsey Jones
Josh Flitter	...	Choir Boy
DeRay Davis	...	Joel
Peter Strauss	...	Mr. Jones
Grace Zabriskie	...	Grandma Jones
Roxanne Hart	...	Mrs. Jones
Mindy Kaling	...	Shelly
Angela Kinsey	...	Judith the Jewelry Clerk
Rachael Harris	...	Janine
Brian Baumgartner	...	Jim
Jess Rosenthal	...	Jewelry Clerk

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual humor and language.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Singapore:PG | Germany:6 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:10 | Chile:TE | Argentina:13 | Taiwan:PG-12 (original rating) | Sweden:Btl | Australia:M | South Korea:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43543) | Norway:A

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: During the marriage road test, an old man on a scooter crashes into a car.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the scene where the couple first meet the Pastor, the pastor's Family Feud-esque Board has 10 answers, but his controller has only one button. Therefore, he shouldn't be able to select between the different panels when they need to be flipped. It may be arguable that he could have it set to reveal in a predetermined order, but it's doubtful, considering that it seems like some answers were given in random order (Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife and Thou shalt not kill).

Quotes:

[from trailer]
Reverend Frank: I'm gonna have to heal you. We have got to pray! We have got to pray! We have got to pray to make it through the day!
Ben Murphy: [pause] Was that M.C. Hammer?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2007 MTV Movie Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

New Shoes

Not so much

This movie was a bit of a bore. I walked in rather neutral with my expectations, and after the first 10 minutes realized that this ball of cheese was not for me. I sat through it all, for the sake of the company I was with.

Mandy Moore and John Krasinski are cute, but very flat characters. There is little or no character development in this film. Robin Williams as Reverend Frank tries to save the show with his humorous antics, but was unfortunately cliché in his attempts. The little boy, Josh Flitter, does an excellent job as the annoyingly forthright "minister in training", as do the other children playing minor roles, but the overall attempt was bland.

The movie neither humorously avoids morals, nor does it end with moral enlightenment. The "lesson" in the end is weak and predictable.

If you're looking for something heartwarming, inspiring, or thought-provoking, turn elsewhere. If you'd like a few cheap laughs with a weak storyline, this could be your film.

I rate it a 2 out of 10.