Our Family Wedding
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Our Family Wedding is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Rick Famuyiwa. It stars Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia, Diana-Maria Riva, Lance Gross, Charlie Murphy and Regina King. The story is about an African-American man and a Mexican-American woman getting married and their respective fathers causing hijinks with one another towards their special day. The film was theatrically released in North America by Fox Searchlight Pictures on March 12, 2010, receiving negative reviews from critics but grossed $21.4 million worldwide.

Plot

Marcus Boyd, a young African-American, has recently graduated from Columbia Medical School and is going to Laos for a year to work with Doctors Without Borders. Lucia Ramirez, who is Mexican-American, volunteers at a charter school for recent immigrants as an English teacher, having dropped out of Columbia Law School to pursue her passion, although she has neglected to tell her parents. Unbeknownst to their respective families, they have been living together for several months and are planning to wed before going to Laos together.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Marcus father Brad, a successful radio host, is returning from a typical one-night-stand with a younger woman when he sees his car being towed by Miguel, who happens to be Lucia s father and runs a successful auto shop and towing business. Brad tries unsuccessfully to halt the tow by holding on to the door of his car. Both Miguel and Brad hurl various racial insults at one another. That night, Marcus and Lucia invite their families to a joint dinner, where Miguel is surprised to learn of Marcus s existence, and Brad brings a much younger date who is in fact an old high school friend of Lucia s. As a shock to both families, the couple reveal their engagement and travel plans, with Brad and Miguel incredulous that they will soon be in-laws. As the wedding planning begins, both families attempt to dominate it with their respective traditions, while Brad s long-time friend Angie helps to mediate things, stressing the phrase Our marriage, their wedding to Marcus and Lucia to help them understand how much they must compromise to keep peace between their loved ones.

The wedding is set to take place at Brad s estate, much to his chagrin, and Brad tries to dissuade Marcus from rushing into a marriage as he feels he did with Marcus s mother. Meanwhile, Miguel feels that Marcus is not good enough for Lucia because she did not feel comfortable enough to mention him before the engagement. While wedding dress shopping, Lucia s sister Isabel, who helps run the auto shop with Miguel, argues with Lucia about marrying young like the other women in their family, something they vowed not to do as teenagers. Their mother Sonia overhears their conversation, which quickly shifts to mocking her life as a homemaker who is clearly living vicariously through the wedding, which upsets her.

While trying to hire a DJ for the reception, Miguel and Brad become drunk at a club and are arrested after an altercation. When Marcus and Lucia go to pick them up from the station, an argument erupts in which Miguel feels that Marcus is freeloading off of Lucia since he will be working as a doctor without pay and still believes that she is becoming a lawyer. When Lucia does not come to his defense, Marcus feels abandoned, leading to another argument between them. When Lucia questions if Marcus still wants to get married, he replies I don t know , which leads her to call off the nuptials. Angered when Sonia refers to the wedding as our wedding and Miguel offers to toss the ball at the news, Lucia finally admits all the secrets she has been keeping from her parents, leaving them shocked.

Brad and Angie have begun seeing each other after a lifetime of friendship, which ends quickly once Angie sees another one-night-stand in Brad s home. Marcus and Brad have a sincere conversation while attempting to cope with their mutual loss and help each other realize how much they truly love their significant others. Miguel assures Lucia that he will always love and be proud of her as long as she is honest with him, and only wants her to be happy. He also gifts a classic lowrider he was renovating for Lucia as a graduation/wedding gift to Sonia to apologize for how he has let their marriage stagnate, assuring her he will always find her attractive and want to have fun with her. Isabel helps Lucia realize that she still loves Marcus, and pushes her to reunite with him. Lucia goes to Brad s home and tries to serenade Marcus, saying she is happy to marry Marcus in a way that is only for them, while Marcus apologizes for making her feel she must choose between him and her family.

The day of the wedding arrives, and events quickly turn chaotic as the extended families begin to clash, while Miguel and Brad finally seem to be working together for their children s happiness. Just before the ceremony begins, Marcus asks Miguel for Lucia s hand in marriage as a gesture of good will, which Miguel grants as a sign of respect and acceptance. The ceremony honors traditions from both families, and the reception becomes a joyous occasion. Brad makes an attempt to atone with Angie, apologizing for threatening their relationship and not pursuing her long ago, and promising to commit to her. Marcus and Lucia share a dance, happy that they are married and that their families have found a way to be together.

During the end credits, several pictures of the two families are shown depicting family events, including Isabel s engagement to Harry, who is Asian-American, while Miguel is seen weeping at the troubles ahead.

Cast

  • Forest Whitaker as Bradford Boyd
  • America Ferrera as Lucia Ramirez
  • Lance Gross as Marcus Boyd
  • Carlos Mencia as Miguel Ramirez
  • Regina King as Angela
  • Diana Maria Riva as Sonia Ramirez
  • Anjelah Johnson as Isabel Ramirez
  • Shannyn Sossamon as Ashley McPhee
  • Charlie Murphy as T.J.
  • Harry Shum Jr. as Harry (as Harry Shum)
  • Hayley Marie Norman as Sienna
  • Fred Armisen as Philip Gusto (Deleted Scenes Only)
  • Skylan Brooks as Buddy Boyd
  • Taye Diggs as Whipped Friend Greg (uncredited)
  • Noel G. as Raymond Mata

Release

Box office

Our Family Wedding was released in theaters on March 12, 2010. At the end of its theatrical run, it made $20,712,308 in North America.

Critical reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 15% based on 87 reviews, with an average score of 3.7/10. The website s critics consensus reads: Our Family Wedding is a mirthless, contrived affair that does little with its promising premise and talented cast. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating generally unfavorable reviews .

Roger Ebert gave praise to the performances of Ferrera, Gross and King but was critical of the family problems and the fathers feud coming across as completely unconvincing and painfully forced towards the end of the film, concluding that: Our Family Wedding is a pleasant but inconsequential comedy, awkward for the actors, and contrived from beginning to end. Andrew Dowler of NOW commended the cast for being competent and fully energized throughout the film, highlighting Whitaker and Mencia for emitting gleeful animosity while transitioning into more sincere moments, but concluded that: The story is completely predictable, and director Rick Famuyiwa keeps things moving briskly, but he never builds his gags to laugh-out-loud levels. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it an overall C− grade, criticizing the film s broad, bawdy comedy for allowing its cast to deliver empty-calorie jokes and vigorous buffoonery throughout its runtime. The A.V. Club s Nathan Rabin gave the movie a D− grade, heavily criticizing Famuyiwa for overusing the comic possibilities of Viagra throughout the film and the constant desperate ways the fathers have to fight each other until they make peace for the sake of being narratively convenient , concluding that: We remain a nation divided, but hopefully we ve at least progressed beyond the need for clumsy message movies about racial tolerance, as fortified with dick jokes.

Year 2010
ReleaseDate 2010-03-12
RuntimeMins 103
RuntimeStr 1h 43min
Plot The weeks leading up to a young couple’s wedding are comic and stressful, especially as their respective fathers try to lay their long standing feud to rest.
Awards Awards, 4 nominations
Directors Rick Famuyiwa
Writers Wayne Conley, Malcolm Spellman, Rick Famuyiwa
Stars America Ferrera, Forest Whitaker, Carlos Mencia
Produced by Scott Hyman,Edward Saxon,Steven J. Wolfe
Music by Transcenders
Cinematography by Julio Macat
Film Editing by Dirk Westervelt
Casting By Kim Coleman
Production Design by Linda Burton
Art Direction by Colin De Rouin,Christopher M. Ridino
Set Decoration by Gia Grosso
Costume Design by Hope Hanafin
Makeup Department Natasha Allegro,Debra Denson,Kelcey Fry,Pauletta O. Lewis,Frances Mathias,Beverly Jo Pryor,Anita Brabec,Raqueli Dahan-Gonen,Jenni Brown Greenberg,Veronica Lorenz
Production Management Jenny Hinkey
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director Thom Buckley,Lily Garcia,Franklin A. Vallette,Sean Whitler,Dana Imsande,Eric Sherman,Anderson Vilien
Art Department Curtis Akin,Anthony A. Altomare,Heidi Baumgarten,Kim Bolanowski,Randy Brewer,Michael Coscia,Steve Dennis,John Bugsy Fuess,David Harris,Dylan J. Hay-Chapman,Jennifer Haybach,Gene Hunter,Anne Hyvarinen,Anthony Imperato,Wendy Jerde,Janet Kusnick,John Londono,Sara Morgan,Chuck Morganti,Charles Nixon III,Carl Nunez,Sara Peterson,Tony Piller,Anthony Price,James Rainbow,Regana Redd,Sarah Regan,Charles Reyes Jr.,Danny Ronay,Mike Rutgard,Palmer Schallon,D. Tracy Smith,Phillip Vargas,Whit Vogel,Jim Zemansky,Amy Lynn Umezu
Sound Department Bobbi Banks,Jeff Blehr,G.W. Brown,Harry Cheney,Kevin Compayre,Lorita de la Cerna,Lori Dovi,Ken Dufva,Ginger Geary,Ryan Gegenheimer,Kenneth Gombos,Aaron J. Green,Paul Hackner,Darrell Hanzalik,Greg Hedgepath,Marti D. Humphrey,Chris M. Jacobson,Myron Nettinga,Cecilia Perna,Andy Potvin,Pernell L. Salinas,Kevin Santy,Christian Schaanning,Frank Smathers,Paul Hackner,John Soukup
Special Effects by Chris Bailey,Robert Garrigus,Timothy B. Graham,Jason Hansen,Joseph Livolsi,Thomas Rasada
Visual Effects by Alan Edward Bell,Patrick Clancey,Michael Dillon,Steve Dyson,Todd Groves,Holly Gregory Horter,Ed W. Marsh,Andy Mower,Francisco Ramirez,Charles Bunnag
Stunts Steve Boyles,Richard Cetrone,Darryl Crews,Thomas Dewier,Steve Finley,Sandy Fletcher,Al Jones,Brett A. Jones,Clint Jones,Dorian Kingi,Horace Knight Jr.,Anthony Martins,Marco Morales,Mandy Pongs,Scott Rogers,Nancy Thurston,David Wald
Camera and Electrical Department Sebastian Amiri,Matt Ardine,Joseph E. Bates,Matthew Boeka,Francisco Bulgarelli,Dwight Campbell,Liam Clark,Bob Crockett,Gary Dagg,Scott Garfield,Sam Griffin,Robby Hart,Greg HecQ,Steele Hunter,Johnny E. Jensen,Tino Jimenez,Krash Kowal,Wisnick Luberice,Max Macat,Harry Sandlin Mattice III,Peter McAdams,Christopher TJ McGuire,Ben Medley,David W. Nims,Gregg Deadair Norton,Melvina Rapozo,Kendall A. Reed,Paul A. Rychlec,T. Daniel Scaringi,Moulaye Sene,Reza Tabrizi,Rodney Veto,Ramian E. Williams,Steve Barnes,Jeff Barnett,Matthew Berger,Nicholas Davidoff,Michael Lindquist,Kathryn Moss
Casting Department Barbara Harris,Erika Lee,John McAlary,Michael Schiavone,Natasha Ward,Jackie Sollitto
Costume and Wardrobe Department Summer Browning,Carrie Dacre,Hannah Jacobs,Lydia Jakubowski,Valerie Laven-Cooper,Devon Patterson,Cynthia Sterling,Domenico Vacca,Marta Villalobos,Kasey Bazil Young
Editorial Department Pete Conlin,Lauren Flasher,Jonathan Hoffman,Harry Muller,Martha Pike,Christian Prejza,Tom Reiser,Elizabeth Ross,Scot Scalise,Steven J. Scott,Michael Hatzer,Marc Lulkin,Sam Tirado
Location Management Michael Chickey,Martin J. Cummins,Justin Duncan,Zachary Kahn,Bryan Molla,Jason Stowell
Music Department Ramon Aguallo,Alberto Barba,Jim Black,Joel Bowers,Tom Caffey,Josh Campbell,Barry Cole,J. Curtis,Michael Dittrick,Mike Fratantuno,Sharyn Gersh,Frank Greenfield,David Hermann,Kim Hill,Jose Javier-Hernandez,Jordan Katz,Robert Kraft,Brian Lapin,James Mcmillen,Jim McMillian,Kyle Mullarky,Jose Alberto Munõz,Suzana Peric,Chuck Prada,Jose Manuel Sandoval,George Shelby,Del Spiva,Chris Tedesco,Dan Ubick,Terence Yoshiaki,Martin Barboza Zarate,Thomas Cavanaugh,Steven D. Grothe
Script and Continuity Department Renetta G. Amador
Transportation Department Ernesto A. Luna,Karl E. Nelson,Michael Perrotti
Additional Crew Anne Aaronson,Karl Alsens,Sam Alvelo,Kimberly Bailey,Justin Bell,Jerusha Bhindie,Karen Bove,BJ Brasier,Elida Cerda,Lanei Chapman,Django Craig,Scott Davis,Jeremiah Daws,André Devantier,Larkin Donley,Patrick Dunn,Karen M. Fuchs,Anna Fuson,Eddie Garcia,Josiah Golojuh,Orlando R. Gonzales,Jennifer Hall,Chris Hazzard,Stephen Hemmerice,Hector Alex Hernandez,Hernan A. Hernandez,Veronica Jamerson,Lauren Johansen,Mary Kerley,Kett Kettering,Lance Kirshner,Gints Krastins,Verla Loomis Randall,Vanessa Macedo,Sasha Maravic,Ed W. Marsh,Terence Mathews,Richard McCune,Janora McDuffie,Brittany Merrill,David Michie,Arlin Miller,David Moore,Kareema Morrison,Vivianne Nacif,Levi Nunez,Casey O Connor,Kosha Patel,Frank Pelluchon,Erik Piecuch,Jeffrey Raines,Michael Ralph,Jason Salzman,Jonathan Silver,Phil Smith,Roger Craig Smith,Gregg Spiegelman,Charline St. Charles,Shelley Stevens,Ricky Townsend,Kelley Vallette,Kimberly Williams,Magan Yoon,Ruth Zalduondo,Gustavo F. Alcaraz,Zack Arnold,William Batsel,Quincy Gray,Jacob Kindberg,Tanya Leal Soto,Alexis Ramer,Matthew Switzer
Genres Comedy, Romance
Companies Fox Searchlight Pictures, Sneak Preview Entertainment, Dune Entertainment
Countries USA
Languages English
ContentRating PG-13
ImDbRating 5
ImDbRatingVotes 7252
MetacriticRating 38
Keywords wedding,marriage,love,wedding dress,california