‘Mother of the Bride’ Review: Brooke Shields Says I Do to Netflix’s Aggressively Inoffensive Rom-Com
variety.comCourtney Howard After “Ticket to Paradise” and “Destination Wedding” showed us the different ways in which calamity ensues when planning weddings abroad, Netflix releases “Mother of the Bride,” which combines the essential elements of both those recent romantic comedies into one passable package.
The far-off setting emphasizes the lavish and luxe, though the narrative is cheaply woven and fairly threadbare. While “Mean Girls” director Mark Waters’ latest fails to add anything unique to the conversation, it does scrounge up a modest amount of heart when it comes to its saccharine sweet message of never giving up on happily ever after.
Mere seconds after her extravagant proposal, Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) begins fretting to her fiancé RJ (Sean Teale) about how to frame their engagement to her judgmental widowed mom Dr.
Lana Winslow (Brooke Shields), who doesn’t even know her only child has a steady beau. Cue zany, plucky score. Mom’s been busy saving the world, locking down grants and researching genetic diseases in San Francisco, but plans to make up for lost time once Emma returns home from graduating university in London.
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