Title: Mother of the Bride
MPA Rating: TV-PG
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Brooke Shields, Miranda Cosgrove, Benjamin Bratt
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins

What It Is: When Emma (Cosgrove) is getting ready to marry the love of her life, RJ (Sean Teale), she, of course, wants her mom there. Her mother, Lana (Shields), is a brilliant scientist. Thanks to some of Emma’s sponsors, her wedding is going to be epic and beautiful, taking place in the most stunning parts of Thailand. The most surprising thing? RJ’s dad is someone very familiar to Lana. And so, the vacation unfolds.

What We Think: Man, this is a tale told over and over again. They literally just did a modern rendition of Father of the Bride. That, in and of itself, was completely…fine. This is the type of film that makes you question what the hell is wrong with audiences in 2024. Netflix, you’ve made some of the best surprise rom-coms of this decade, but here you’ve settled for something simple, easy, and flat-out stupid. I was not a fan. The charm that’s supposed to be there is sadly just absent. Miranda Cosgrove doesn’t bring anything interesting to the table. Brooke Shields is flat and boring, and even the ever-charming Benjamin Bratt just does nothing for me. The absolutely amazing Rachael Harris is doing her best, but it’s not enough.

Our Grade: D+, Why?: Why was this thing made? What purpose does this film  serve? Often, there’s discourse surrounding the gender-swapping of films during a remake. I would normally disregard such petty, stupid arguments, but dammit, when something like this comes along, it makes it difficult to defend. The gender swap of the titular character didn’t bring much new to the concept, which has been redone to death. Stick with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton for the best version of this story, and last year’s for a fun modern spin.