FilmSnobReviews

Title: Table 19
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson
Runtime: 1 hr 27 mins

What It Is: After the being dumped by her boyfriend Teddy (Wyatt Russell) days before he’s set to be best man at his sister’s wedding. His now ex-girlfriend Eloise (Kendrick) was all set to be maid of honor until the dumping happen. Now she sits at the worse table at the wedding table number 19. With her are a veritable smorgasbord of weirdos. A young man just looking for love (Tony Revolori) and couple that seems to have lost the love they once had (Kudrow and Robinson), the bride’s octogenarian former nanny (June Squibb) and lastly a very strange “businessman” named Walter (Stephen Merchant) who won’t really give us a hint at his past…or present. All of them seated at the worst table will find adventure elsewhere.

What We Think: It leaves a couple of its plot strings hanging but I found the performances more than worth it. It’s short runtime coupled with some laughs that really got me make this easy pick and go entertainment. Some of the jokes fall face first into the cake while others nail a perfectly sequenced dance number. I think Stephen Merchant is the absolute best thing here. He made me laugh with a lot of what he was doing. For a script written by the excellent Duplass brothers, I was a little disappointed by the quality of the dialogue. Those dudes have written some great stuff, particularly in the mumblecore subgenre.

Our Grade: C+, It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but I found it charming enough. There’s something to be said for a comedy with enough laughs and while this one supplied some them it was not enough to offset it’s pacing issues. Those I think, fall on the shoulder of director Blits who’s primarily known as a television director. Perhaps long form just isn’t his style. This gets an unenthusiastic recommendation with the caveat that you be in the mood for a comedy like this.