3 Stars
“Love Wedding Repeat” is a new Netflix rom-com that has become a standout on social media and online platforms. Ranked fourth out of the Netflix Top 10, this popular release has been on the streaming site since April 10, 2020. With a run time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, the movie includes many well-known celebrity actors who are a part of a cast that is both charming and hilarious.
Star Sam Claflin, who plays the protagonist, Jack, in the film, is determined to make sure his sister’s wedding goes smoothly and as planned. His sister, Hayley, is played by actress Eleanor Tomlinson. With humor, dark jokes, sarcastic comments and interesting twists, this movie starts off as a seemingly typical romantic comedy. However, what makes this film stand out is the cinematography. It begins at the start of Hayley’s wedding day, and the camera moves through each room at the venue to give a behind-the-scenes type of view of all the mishaps of the day.
The main issue in the movie occurs when Jack attempts to rein in Hayley’s out-of-control ex-boyfriend by placing a sleep sedative in his champagne glass at the wedding table. When the glass keeps being mistakenly placed at the wrong seat, sedating a different person each time, things get messy. But the plot also becomes muddled and slightly difficult to follow when Jack finds himself repeating the same day over and over again, each time faced with a chance to place the sedative at the right seat to avoid the consequences he has watched unfold in the previous attempts.
The most entertaining character in the film, a wedding guest and Jack’s close friend Bryan, is played by actor Joel Fry. As Jack’s right-hand man, Bryan attempts to help Jack take control of the situation and help him find Hayley’s ex-boyfriend, Marc, on multiple occasions. This, mixed with an interwoven romantic plot involving Jack and a wedding guest he met many years ago, makes for quite an eventful and interesting day for everyone involved.
The costumes for the film were realistic and classy, mimicking outfits worn by wedding guests and members of the bridal party at typical up-scale venues. Hayley, the bride, is dressed in an elegant white lace wedding gown that often takes center stage and focus in many of the outside reception scenes. She also has her own fair share of mishaps and anxiety when her ex-boyfriend threatens to make a scene on her big day.
Overall, the simple plot of the film is broken up and complicated by the alternate versions of the wedding day that appear in the second half of the film. Each version includes a different wedding guest becoming sedated and shows how one slight change can easily alter everything that plays out. The funny scenes that show up sporadically throughout the film provide comic relief in an otherwise hard to follow scene sequence. Although charming and entertaining, the fact that the same day is repeated over and over again for viewers to watch takes away from the comic aspect of the film.
