JAM Reviews Our Family Wedding from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Our Family Wedding: DVD: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Review by JAM

Marcus and Lucia are two young lovers on their way to marital bliss or so they think. You see, it’s their marriage, but when their parents get involved it becomes their parents’ wedding and their lives come crashing down right before their very eyes. Will love be enough or is the honeymoon over before the marriage has even began?

Marcus (Lance Gross) is an aspiring doctor out to change the world by joining Doctors Without Borders and heading out to Laos. Lucia (the amazing America Ferrera) is the young woman who has fallen in love with him, left law school to teach the underprivileged, and has kept secrets from her parents this whole time. Believing they have found their soulmates, they head out to LA to meet the parents and share the wonderful news. To say it does not go well would be an understatement.

Brad Boyd, Marcus’ dad (Forest Whitaker), is a single dad living the life of a 20 year old bachelor with the clubbing, the partying, and the nightly romances. Problem is he has a twenty something son looking for advice on life, relationships, and marriage. Oh yeah, and the way he meets Lucia’s father Miguel Ramirez (Carlos Mencia) leads to the start of the crazy festivities to come. Throw in Lucia’s mother Sonia (Diana Maria Riva), a stubborn and ornery sister Izzy (Anjelah N. Johnson), and Brad’s long time lifeline Angela (Regina King), add a couple of grandparents and friends and we have a recipe for disaster.

Race, family relationships, and physical happenings all threaten to derail the upcoming festivities, but you get the chance to see if love can cure all… Even family.

JAMS Ink on Our Family Wedding

The movie itself is a fairly enjoyable romp through the pre-wedding festivities of a happy couple, just amplified due to racial, familial, and relational obligations. America and Lance actual seem to make a good couple on the screen, definitely the highlight of the movie. They are dealing with issues every married couple faces during the preparation along with a number of issues that seemed to be specific to their relationship and families.

There in lie the issues with the movie. It was a fun loving enjoyable movie in the vein of Meet the Parents until the parents really got involved. Forest Whitaker is often an amazing actor, but playing the part of a middle-aged lothario made him come off as a wasted character that was exemplifying messed up black male stereotypes. It was especially annoying to see a son that exemplified positive role model type traits coming from a father that seemed to never see what he truly had before him. Carlos Mencia’s character is done so over the top that he never is likeable or even really understandable until the very end of the movie.

One of the other bright spots was Lucia’s sister Lizzy. The sharp tongued sister seemed to be underused even though she played in some important scenes to the movie. The end credits showed that Carlos’ character is going to have more fun when it comes to wedding time for her as the melding of cultures will continue.

I recommend this movie as long as you are not expecting comic perfection. It does have its spots where it is truly funny and its spots where it truly is not, but overall America Ferrera and Lance Gross save it before it goes too far. So take a look if you get the chance.

EXTRAS

Blu-ray and DVD Special Features:
● Deleted Scenes
○ Lucia and Miguel Toss the Ball
○ The Families Meet Gusto; the Families Walk and Talk Outside of Gusto’s on the Street
○ Marcus Asks Angela to Stand in for His Mother
○ Angela’s House – The Morning After
○ Brad is Pouring His Heart Out on the Radio
○ The Director’s Cut Ending
● Extended Scenes
○ Police Station – Sonia and Miguel Discuss Lucia and Marcus
○ Angela Discovers Tipsy #1
● “Til Dads Do Us Part” featurette
● Gag Reel

Deleted scenes and gag reels are always fun to see visions of the movie that did not come to fruition and outtakes that keep the set light and laughing. The deleted scenes do give some more insight into the characters, but I don’t know if they are really missed in the end.

Our Family Wedding from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment makes it way down the aisles of your closest stores on July 13, 2010.

OUR FAMILY WEDDING
Street Date: July 13, 2010
Screen Format: Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (BD) / English 5.1 Dolby Digital (DVD)
Subtitles English, Spanish & French (BD/DVD)
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Total Run Time: 103 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes


Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.

How To Train Your Dragon - Dreamworks Animation - In theaters now

How To Train Your Dragon:
Review by JAM

Spoilers below!!!

Sometimes it takes someone a little different to make a change in people’s lives, and Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is definitely someone different. Growing up in a Viking society in which daily attacks by dragons is the norm, Hiccup finds himself trying his best to fit in. It seems though that he is the square peg that can’t fit into the round hole, no matter how much his father, King Stoick (Gerard Butler) tries to force him. Hiccup’s life changes in one nightly raid when one of his inventions truly works (though no one believes him) and he takes down a dragon unseen by mortal eyes, and finds out things aren’t really what they seem.

Toothless, as he calls the Night Terror that he knocked from the sky, and Hiccup start learning how to coexist and protect each other as time goes on and they learn that they share a common enemy. Through what Hiccup learns from toothless, he becomes the new hero in training for the Vikings, overcoming every dragon type and obstacle thrown in his path until his final test. Unable to kill a dragon as his rite of passage, events occur that affect the dragons and the Viking society as they face an enemy almost too big to handle. Hiccup and a small group of open minded friends, led by Astrid (America Ferrera), rescue an unbelieving society, changing hearts and minds as the movie comes to its climax. How To Train Your Dragon also stars the vocal talents of Craig Ferguson, Kristin Wiig, Jonah Hill, and more and is still in theaters now.

JAMS Ink on How To Train Your Dragon

Talk about a movie with a ton of important messages and it is well done as well. How To Train Your Dragon teaches us that being different is not necessarily bad, sometimes adults really need to listen to their kids, and that disabilities may cause challenges but do not define or limit us if we do not allow them to.

Different – Hiccup never fit in, whether as the son of the Viking king, the blacksmith apprentice, or the warrior in training, something always seemed to go wrong. Sometimes it can happen with us too, where everything we seem to do is different from other people or may not succeed when we try. Too often we worry about not fitting in, even though our differences are what make a group of friends stronger. My father is the ultimate home improvement master, but I have to work really hard to keep up. On the same token, I can help my parents out with computer or other electronic issues. Even though we have different strengths, working together makes us stronger.

Listening – Hiccup learned that the dragons were just as scared of the Vikings as the Vikings were of the dragons. And there was something even bigger awaiting both of them. Yet, King Stoick never listened to his son, believing that his way was the only way, the Viking way. Stoick comes to realize his issues before it is too late, but almost loses his son due to his hard headedness. So parents, listen to your kids, you might be surprised to hear their insight.

Challenges – Hiccup’s invention strips Toothless of the ability to fly at first, but a second invention allows them to work together to overcome the challenge. Though the disability seemed to be too much, working together made them stronger and helped them learn more about each other. Hiccup also faces a disabling blow at the end of the movie, but it seems that he with time will also be alright with the help of his friends and family. Though they face challenges in this movie, working together helps strengthen bonds and abilities and allows them to overcome the challenges they face.

See this movie in the theaters if you get the chance, you will not regret the thrill ride of adventure that comes through the screen.

Jam Movie Reviews
http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com
www.hollywoodteenzine.com