Everyone loves a good whirlwind romance story that ends with a walk down the aisle and will have you reaching for your handkerchief. If you’ve ever been to a wedding, you’ll agree that the average wedding has more drama than a Telenovela. Laughter, tears, cringeworthy speeches and the drunk uncle trying to hump the bridesmaids – you name it.
Unfortunately, it’s not everyday that we get to experience the thrill that comes with watching someone walk down the aisle. That’s why I’ve curated a list of the best ten wedding movies to binge on this week. These movies, ranked in no particular order, have superb scripts that will definitely pass any test.
Whether you’re looking for a cheesy love story with a little drama or you want something that features Brazilian brides, you’ll definitely enjoy seeing the following masterpieces on your screen:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
When a Greek bride “accidentally” falls in love with a non-Greek man, you can expect a lot of drama and tension. This amusing and heartwarming film steeped in tradition and family portrays the cultural clash between two families trying their best to accept their differences. But you know what they say – sometimes, your best just isn’t good enough.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding has a well-written script that aptly portrays the theme of conformity vs. nonconformity without trying too hard. For instance, in the opening five minutes, we see Toula saying: “Nice Greek girls are meant to do three things in life: marry nice, Greek boys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day we die.”
We also see Gus saying things like: “Toula, you should be proud to be Greek” and “you better get married soon, you’re starting to look old.”
All of these clearly describe the conflict between individual preferences and family expectations without leaving the audience in doubt as to the themes the film is trying to explore.
Bridesmaids
Written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids is a comical chick flick that depicts a harrowing “behind the scenes” image of competitive bridesmaids. If you’re a screenwriter who’s looking to write a comedy, you’ll definitely learn from the sharp wit, snappy dialogue, and verbal gags employed in this movie.
In Bridesmaids, Billy Mernit’s principle of three is used to create quick verbal gags. Basically, using the principle of three to create verbal gags involves making your character list two correlated items and a third item that doesn’t belong.
For instance, Annie (the main character) has two roommates who happen to be siblings. In one scene, the brother, while listing all the infractions he and his sister have committed against Annie, says:
“You should have a sign on your door which says do not come into my room, read my diary, or wear my clothes.”
The third element “wear my clothes” adds an element of humor as neither the audience nor Annie was expecting to hear that.
The Wedding Planner
In The Wedding Planner, Jennifer Lopez plays the role of Mary Fiore, the wedding planner for Steve Edison’s (Matthew McConaughey) wedding.
This movie portrays the thrill of a forbidden relationship between a wedding planner and her soon-to-be-married client. It’s not exactly what you’ll expect from a rom-com but it definitely contains sharp, witty dialogue that delivers elite humor.
For instance, during dancing lessons, when Edison says “If you’re thinking what I’m thinking“, Mary quickly takes a jab at his dancing skills by responding with: “What I’m thinking involves a machete and a pair of pliers!”
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
If you loved seeing My Big Fat Greek Wedding, then you’ll definitely love the sequel. It tells the story of how Toula (Nia Vardalos) and her husband, Ian, deal with the pressures of a relationship that has lost its spark. It also follows the story of her parents who rediscover their feelings for each other and then get remarried. Apparently, young love is out and old love is in.
What we love best about this movie is its many interwoven subplots. Although some of the subplots (such as Toula’s crashing marriage) could have been explored with more detail, the script does a good job of touching every angle with limited screen time.
It also epitomizes mild humor, especially in the scene when Gus finds out that his marriage to Maria was never finalized. The contrast between his baffled reaction and Maria’s amusement over the new discovery is exactly the kind of humor that makes a rom-com worth watching: mild and not overdone.
The Wedding Ringer
Featuring Kevin Hart and Josh Gad, The Wedding Ringer depicts the life of a socially awkward groom whose life is so lonely, he has to hire a fake best man and groomsmen to show up at his wedding.
One major perk this movie offers is its profound and heartwarming character development. At the beginning, we see Doug, an awkward but rich, nice guy who doesn’t have the guts to either make friends or stand up for himself. However, towards the end of the movie, Doug progresses into a confident chap who walks out on his wedding and begins to live life on his own terms. On the other hand, Jimmy’s character develops into a man who values true friendship over a paycheck.
The plot of this comedy also involves a great deal of slapstick humor that only Kevin Hart can pull off. For instance, we can see this in the scene where Gretchen’s grandmother gets set on fire. However, if you’re aiming to write a comedy of your own, you might want to use less slapstick humor so it doesn’t seem overdone.
Crazy Rich Asians
Ahh. Crazy Rich Asians – the one movie that made us want to walk down the aisle in a Vera Wang dress while Kina Grannis plays a soft Elvis Presley tune.
The wedding scene in this movie was a next-level, luxurious one that had all of us bawling (tears of envy and not joy, if you ask me).
Crazy Rich Asians also depicts the drama that comes with meeting your significant other’s family. Although it’s supposed to be a cheesy romance movie, it has some impressive character development. For instance, we get to see Astrid transform from a woman who had to hide her expensive purchases from an insecure husband to a confident lady who divorces him and refuses to take the blame for his affair.
27 Dresses
27 Dresses is an exhilarating rom-com. The movie plot optimally balances comedy and romance to create a climatic experience. Its script and dialogue contains elite humor and witty one-liners without going into slapstick mode.
For instance, in reference to Jane’s yellow, flowery dress, Kevin says: What the hell is that?
Jane: Theme wedding.
Kevin: What was the theme? Humiliation?
Father of the Bride
Father of the Bride is a brutally honest film that tells the story of a father who still can’t come to terms with the fact that his little girl is now grown up.
It combines well-written, heart-warming dialogue with just a little humor. For instance, when they’re planning the wedding, George says:
“Two hundred and fifty dollars a head means that for the four of us to attend this wedding in our own home will cost one thousand dollars. Therefore, we are not getting up from this table until we cut this list down to the bare minimum. Now, invite as many people as you want to the church. Pack ’em in. Build a grandstand if you want, but we are not having more than one hundred and fifty people in this house on the day of the wedding. All right, let’s start eliminating.
Nina: Okay. Jim Pepper and wife.
George: Oh, great. Start with one of my guys.”
George’s character development is also quite impressive as he slowly but surely progresses from an overprotective father to a dad who has fully accepted the fact that his little girl is all grown up.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
This rom-com starring Julia Roberts fulfills every writer’s dream when it comes to dialogue: snappy yet detailed at the same time. For instance, in the opening scene, after Jules’ editor George says: “Did the chap from Newsday call? “, Julia asks: “Is it an interview or a guy you’re setting me up with?”
He then responds with: “You never know what to do with men.”
This simple dialogue reveals so much information: George is Jules’ editor and they share a pretty close relationship that he sets her up with guys.
Bride Wars
Who said brides can’t be snarky cats? Well, Bride Wars certainly begs to disagree. This film shows the lives of two best friends who go out of their way to sabotage each other’s wedding.
Although many critics don’t exactly think Bride Wars is an Oscar-worthy movie, it contains just the right combination of slapstick humor, depth, and funny dialogue.
For instance, in the scene where Liv and Emma go wedding dress shopping, we see the tension that typically comes with choosing a dress for your big day. The funny dialogue is also seen here when Liv says she’ll find something better than the Vera Wang dress and Emma says:
“Do they have something better than Vera Wang? Do they keep that next to ‘something better than chocolate’ ?”
