Wedding Planner, The

Comedy, Romance

Jennifer Lopez	Maria 'Mary' Fiore
Matthew McConaughey	Steven James 'Steve/Eddie' Edison, M.D.
Bridgette Wilson	Francine Jane 'Fran/Franny' Donolly
Justin Chambers	Massimo Lenzetti
Judy Greer	Penny Nicholson
Alex Rocco	Salvatore Fiore
Joanna Gleason	Mrs. Kitty Donolly
Charles Kimbrough	Mr. John Robert 'Jack' Donolly
Kevin Pollak	Dr. John Dojny
Fred Willard	Basil St. Mosely
Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Jenifer Lopez

Director	Adam Shankman; Adam Sankman
Producer	Peter Abrams; Moritz Borman
Writer	Pamela Falk; Michael Ellis

The good news is, yes, Jennifer Lopez can do comedy. In The Wedding Planner Lopez is Mary, a lovable woman who believes "those who can't do, teach. Those who can't wed, plan!" Her slapstick moments are lighthearted and she is spot-on as the controlling, compulsive-yet-sweet planner. The bad news is Lopez didn't get much of a vehicle in which to test drive her newfound comedic skills.

Mary's life is her career. Planning other people's weddings takes all of her time, leaving no room for a love life of her own. Her only personal life is a Scrabble club, to which she and her father (Alex Rocco, whose wandering Italian accent is painful to listen to) belong. When a handsome young doctor (Matthew McConaughey) saves her from a collision with a runaway dumpster (really, it works), she is instantly wooed by his quiet charm. Too bad he's the fiancé of Mary's biggest client, Fran (played winningly by Bridgette Wilson-Sampras), the job that will launch Mary as a partner in her firm.

The main problem with this film is that no one wants to hurt anyone else's feelings. Everyone is just so gosh-darn nice. In a subplot, Mary's father is trying to arrange her marriage to just the nicest Italian boy. Gee, he's sweet. Golly, Fran is nice. Is there ever a way out of this mess and to leave everyone smiling? Yet, there is a touch of old-fashioned romance to this wholesome film, which can only be described as "cute." And while things may unfold in a predictable manner, The Wedding Planner is still lighthearted fun of the sort that inspires dreamy romantic thoughts. --Jenny Brown