Jenny’s Wedding is more competently made
than the screenplay from writer/director Mary Agnes Donoghue deserves, thanks
entirely to a cast willing to commit to outdated material always on the verge
of turning into a film you would see on the Hallmark Channel. The basic
structure of the film is all melodrama, enhancing the singular note of the
movie with endless montages which utilize pop songs to convey the emotions the
filmmaking is incapable of, but the tone of the movie takes on the air of a
romantic comedy. The result is a breezy piece of bubblegum LGBT propaganda with
a stacked cast.
Jenny Farrell
(Katherine Heigl) kept her homosexuality a secret from her conservative
middle-class suburban family for her entire life, but a conversation with her
father (Tom Wilkinson) convinces Jenny to propose to her longtime girlfriend.
Once she realizes that a traditional life with a wedding followed by a family
is what she wants, Jenny must be honest with her parents (Wilkinson and Linda
Emond) about who she is. This turns out to be shameful in the close-minded
community that Jenny’s parents live in, and they immediately resent their
daughter for making them gossip-worthy.
Although the
title is Jenny’s Wedding and we know
that this will be the final sequence for all characters to emotionally resolve
their differences, this isn’t really a wedding movie. Although there is
romance, some comedy, and it stars Katherine Heigl, this is not a romantic
comedy. Jenny’s fiancé and roommate, Kitty (Alexis Bledel), is little more than
a pretty face to offer mostly plutonic love, save a few carefully placed
kisses. Instead, this becomes entirely a film about the gradual process her
parents must take in accepting Jenny for who she is. Critics often complain
about the religious propaganda of the films made by the Kendrick Brothers, and
this feels like a left-wing equivalent. The actual viewing experience would
have been far more enjoyable if it didn’t feel like the filmmaker was trying to
pound their point in so relentlessly, however impassioned or necessary that
point may be.
The special
features include a brief making-of featurette and the film’s trailer.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
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