The Big Wedding: Rated R For Raunchy

The Big Wedding is a 2013 American comedy film written and directed by Justin Zackham. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, and Robin Williams. The film received largely negative reviews and was rated R for language, brief nudity, and sexual content. It has a rating of 1 out of 5 stars on Rotten Tomatoes and is described as a sleepy sex farce with a lack of effort and indifference in its execution. Despite the talent of the cast, the movie falls flat, with one reviewer calling it a mediocre comedy and a mystery how such a talented group of actors signed on.

The Big Wedding's sexual content

"The Big Wedding" is a movie that has been described as a sleepy sex farce with racier content than most family wedding comedies. The film includes a lot of sexual content, including the very first scene, which depicts a discussion of oral sex and a man about to perform it on his partner.

The movie features a 29-year-old virgin doctor who wants to save himself for someone special but is seduced by a woman who strips to skinny-dip with him. Premarital sex is also discussed between an engaged couple, and the entire family talks about the mother's discovery of tantric sex and her "9-hour orgasm." There are also two loud sex scenes, including one between exes and another with a virgin who wants to do it again after his first time.

The film also includes discussions of adultery, bisexuality, and open marriage. Medical sexual aids are also mentioned in the dialogue. In addition to the sexual content, there is frequent strong language, alcohol consumption, and brief nudity.

The movie has been criticised for its racist stereotypes, particularly through the portrayal of a hypersexualised young Colombian woman, as well as its mocking of Catholicism and inclusion of gay jokes.

Stereotypes and cultural clashes

The 2013 film "The Big Wedding" is a comedy starring an ensemble cast, including Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl, Topher Grace, Ben Barnes, and Amanda Seyfried. The movie centres around the wedding of the long-divorced Don (De Niro) and Ellie Griffin's Colombian adopted son, Alejandro (Barnes), and his fiancée, Missy (Seyfried). When Alejandro's biological mother, Madonna, who is an ultraconservative Catholic, decides to attend the wedding, Don and Ellie are forced to pretend to still be married to avoid an awkward situation. This sets the stage for a series of farcical events and cultural clashes.

The movie has been criticised for its use of racist and cultural stereotypes, particularly in its portrayal of Colombians, Catholics, and queer people. One of the most prominent stereotypes is the character of Nuria, Alejandro's biological sister, who is portrayed as a hypersexualised young Colombian woman. The camera objectifies her, and the movie portrays her as being obsessed with sex. In addition, the main Colombian character, Alejandro, is whitewashed through the casting of English actor Ben Barnes.

The film also includes jokes that mock Catholicism as backward and repressed. For example, the entire family discusses the mother's discovery of tantric sex and her "9-hour orgasm." There are also gay jokes, such as Missy calling her mother a "part-time lesbian", while the mother herself refers to her attraction to women as "a fetish."

In addition to these stereotypes and cultural clashes, the movie also includes a pseudo-incestuous subplot involving the oldest son of Don and Ellie, who tries to lose his virginity to Alejandro's biological sister. There are also erection gags, projectile vomiting, and a priest saying un-priestly things.

Despite the talented cast, "The Big Wedding" has been widely criticised for its reliance on tired jokes, cultural stereotypes, and a lack of effort in its execution.

The film's comedic value

The 2013 American comedy film "The Big Wedding" has received largely negative reviews for its comedic value, or lack thereof. The film, which features an ensemble cast of award-winning actors including Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, and Robin Williams, is a remake of the 2006 Swiss-French film "My Brother Is Getting Married." Despite its star-studded cast, "The Big Wedding" is criticised for its bland and indifferent script, over-familiar material, and racist and xenophobic jokes.

One review calls the film a "sleepy sex farce" with "lame culture-clash jokes," "erection gags," and "yawn-inducing plot twists." Another review states that the film is "hard not to scoff through" due to its "ridiculous plot points." The humour is described as "disturbing" and "anti-God," punching down at "Colombians, Catholics, the Spanish language, Asian countries, [and] queer people." The film's jokes are said to rely on racist stereotypes, hypersexualising Colombian and Latina women, mocking Catholicism, and using same-sex attraction as a punchline.

However, some viewers found the film amusing, with one review describing it as "a sweet, funny movie, the type that can be rewatched when you just want to smile and relax." The film's saving graces are said to be its "endearing and sweet family moments" and "low-hanging laughs."

The plot and storyline

"The Big Wedding" is a comedy starring an ensemble cast of Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Katherine Heigl, Topher Grace, Ben Barnes, and Amanda Seyfried. The plot centres around a long-divorced couple, Don and Ellie Griffin, who are forced to pretend to still be married as their family unites for their adopted son's wedding.

Don and Ellie were once married for twenty years and have three children: Lyla, Jared, and adopted son Alejandro, who is getting married to Missy. When Alejandro informs his parents that he never told his natural mother—who is very traditional and Catholic—that they got divorced, and that she is coming to the wedding, they reluctantly agree to his request to pretend that they are still married. This means that Don's live-in girlfriend, Bebe (who is also Ellie's former best friend), has to move out.

The family dynamics are further complicated by the fact that Lyla is going through a rough patch in her marriage and is having difficulty getting pregnant, while Jared, who hasn't had much luck with women, finds himself attracted to Alejandro's sister, Nuria.

As the wedding weekend unfolds, the family tries to keep Don and Ellie's divorce a secret from Alejandro's mother. However, the situation becomes increasingly chaotic as various secrets and betrayals are revealed, and the family struggles to maintain the illusion of a happy, functional family.

The movie has been described as a "sex farce" with "broad stabs at humour but few laughs". It has been criticised for its predictable plot, racist and xenophobic stereotypes, and objectification of women. However, some reviewers have noted that the talented cast and a few endearing family moments make the film somewhat watchable.

The cast and their performances

The Big Wedding features a star-studded cast including Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl, Topher Grace, Robin Williams, and Ben Barnes. De Niro and Keaton play the divorced parents of three grown-up children, the youngest of whom is a Colombian adoptee named Alejandro, played by Barnes. Alejandro is getting married to Missy O'Connor, played by Seyfried, an Irish Catholic girl with cartoonishly disgusting parents.

De Niro's character, Don, is a sculptor and recovering alcoholic who lives with his girlfriend, Bebe (Sarandon), who used to be Keaton's character Ellie's best friend. The cast also includes Ellie and Don's two other children, Lyla (Heigl) and Jared (Grace), as well as a priest, Father Monaghan (Williams).

While the film received negative reviews overall, some critics noted that the performances of the cast were a bright spot. Ben Barnes, in particular, received praise for his portrayal of Alejandro, with one review noting that his "portrayal of Alejandro was brilliant, his American accent was exact and his Spanish was impressive as well." Another review called the ensemble cast "talented" and said they brought the story to life with their compelling performances.

Despite the positive reviews for the cast, some critics felt that the actors did not seem to be giving their best efforts. One review stated that "no one in the film delivers what you'd call a committed performance", while another said that the movie felt like "a series of gags strung together" rather than a cohesive story. However, others felt that the cast was the only redeeming quality of the film, with one review stating that it was "watchable thanks to [the] cast."

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