By: debbie lynn elias
Weddings. The dream of most little girls, the dread of most fathers, the nightmare of most couples and the battle to end all battles among families. And as if weddings aren’t stressful enough, toss interfaith and interracial into the mix, each with customs and practices near and dear to religions, cultures, matriarchs and patriarchs, and you’ve got yourself the reason why Vegas does such big business with elopements. As has long been said, “our marriage, their wedding” and thanks to writer/director Rick Famuyiwa, we are now given a front row seat (be it on the bride side or groom side) to the good, the bad and the ugly of one of the most comedic trips to the altar we have seen in sometime with OUR FAMILY WEDDING.
Lucia is the apple of her daddy’s eye. The smart one, the determined one, she is beautiful and brilliant. With law school graduation just around the corner, her father Miguel has been planning the day for months, complete with a surprise to end all surprises. His excitement over his daughter’s accomplishment is boundless. Sorry he can’t say the same for his other daughter, Isabella, who is the son he never had. Beautiful beyond words, Isabella is right hand gal in her father’s esteemed car restoration and towing business. As for their mother Sonia, she longs for days gone by, when she was the apple of her husband’s eye, when she was more youthful, more beautiful than she believes herself to be now.
Marcus is on the brink of graduating medical school. The product of a divorced home, his father Brad is a radio DJ who likes the ladies, wants to stay young and play the field and who really hasn’t been that involved as a parent in Marcus’ life believing his son will always know just what to do on his own. A neat freak and control freak suffering with extreme OCD, Brad celebrates his success and stature as a Black man with the best of everything life has to offer. Luckily Marcus had the benefit of being raised by his father’s best friend and attorney, Angela. A strong, independent woman, no mother could love Marcus more than Angela. And no woman could love or tolerate Brad more than Angela – a fact Brad seems to overlook.
But did I mention that Lucia and Marcus are living together? Did I mention that they are engaged? And did I mention that no parent is privy to this information, nor are they aware that Lucia has quit law school and is heading to Sri Lanka with Marcus. Oops. And so the stage is set for the dropping of the bomb, the meeting of the families and the culture shock that will accompany the fact that Lucia is Hispanic and Marcus is African-American with both fathers deeply rooted in tradition and ideals of the past.
From the moment the families meet chaos ensues and never moreso than between Brad and Miguel. While Sonia begins to plan the wedding of her dreams (i.e., the one she never got) and Brad and Miguel fight over everything in life, Angela is the only voice of a reason; but still, Lucia and Marcus quickly learn that this is not now nor never will be their wedding.
America Ferrera is ugly no more as she slides into the role of Lucia. As charming and beautiful as ever, Ferrera is every daddy’s little girl – wanting to please daddy, keeping secrets about things so as not to disappoint daddy, acquiescing to daddy on what he wants . She is precious. And no one does exasperation better than Ferrera. In accepting the role, “I was really attracted to this character…about making her a woman of her generation…with that confidence and strength and knowing what she wants; that universal thing where you can be grown up and a woman, sexual, smart, successful being and then when you get around your family you revert to being 15 years old. I think that’s universal. I was interested in [Lucia’s] journey to finding the courage to be that woman that she was becoming and be it in that family pressure.”
For Forest Whitaker taking the role of Brad was easy. “I liked the script. I thought it was fun. Very touching. Racial differences, cultural differences and kind of went to the core of everybody being the same, coming from the same place, about love. It seemed like it was just something I needed to do.” Not just a one note performance, as Brad, Whitaker provides some dimension to the film and the character and particularly when working with Carlos Mencia.
A real surprise to me was Carlos Mencia as Miguel. I expected him to be as over-the-top as he is in his stand-up, but here he is far from it. Viewing Miquel as “a very intricate character”, Mencia calls on his own experiences as the 17th of 18th children, giving Miguel both heart and humor amidst emotional crisis. However, beyond bringing life to Miguel, Mencia was more concerned “about looking like a douche next to an Academy Award winning actor [Whitaker].”
I will watch anything in which Regina King has a role which means I was looking forward to her performance as Angela. Thankfully Forest Whitaker is in this film as this was the first reason she took the role of Angela. “I wanted to do a movie with Forest.” Her next reason, “This is a sweet story” and her mother told her to do it as “love does not pay attention to age, color or any of that so that just makes the story more rich.” She doesn’t disappoint. Strong willed yet feminine and independent, King gives us an Angela that is the embodiment of the woman that Ferrera’s Lucia seeks to become. Her delivery is spot on but it’s her facial expressiveness that sets Angela’s tone and speaks volumes. King is a joy to watch.
“Meet the Browns” veteran Lance Gross slides into the role of Marcus with silken ease. Likeable and affable, it’s easy to see why any woman – be they Black, White, Hispanic, Asian – would be attracted to him. He has a generosity of spirit in person that comes through on the screen. And he captures the portrait of a groom perfectly. According to Gross, in playing Marcus “I learned some of the traditions of the wedding, like the lasso that they put on the groom and the bride”; something that might come in handy with his own impending nuptials. He does admit to “toying with the idea of jumping the broom” and that like Lucia and Marcus, is writing his own wedding vows. Gross sees more than truth in OUR FAMILY WEDDING as he has already learned himself that the best thing to do is “just sign the checks and say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’”
Some of the most hilarious moments of the film come from none other than Eddie Murphy’s brother Charlie and Taye Diggs, both of whom who play Lance’s best friends.
Written by Wayne Conley, Malcolm Spellman and Famuyiwa, OUR FAMILY WEDDING is a story deeply rooted in family, fathers and the merriment and mayhem of marriage. Hitting on almost every conceivably comedic scenario for this wedding of the year, Famuyiwa even incorporates his own Nigerian heritage, going so far as to incorporate the tradition of goat slaughter at the wedding; of course before we eat the goat, the goat gets into his own assortment of mischief, including a taste of viagra (“one of those wild things that just came out of my own creative craziness”). One thing on which everyone involved in the project agree is that the film “walks a line” with stereotypes on Hispanics and Blacks quite a few times, pushing the envelope, but with the point being “to get past those stereotypes and see the human being behind those things.” While the first third of the film is used to establish characters and the story and at times feels, “lost in itself”, the remaining two-thirds soars as the chemistry and relationship between Whitaker and Mencia takes off (definitely the most hilarious and entertaining pairing in the film), propelling the film forward, while the strength and heart of Regina King and Diana Maria Riva (Lucia’s mother, Sonia) provide a grounding balance.
Not to be missed is the work of production designer Linda Burton who amazes with the high-tech look of Brad’s perfectly pristeen palace and the homey Victorian setting of the Ramirez family. The color palettes go far in establishing familial tones and the Cinderella feel of any wedding. And ladies, enjoy the mini fashion show compliments of Monique Lhuillier.
Comedy and heart are the common threads that carry the film above the stereotypical making it color blind, while Fumuyiwa’s “draw on people in my own life”, and his ability to “[be] true to the humanity of these characters” and believing that on achieving that, “the cultural things fall into place because we all have a universal shared experience that is unique to growing up in America” make OUR FAMILY WEDDING one of the most heartfelt, fun-filled and entertaining weddings of the year.
Lucia – America Ferrera
Marcus – Lance Gross
Brad Boyd – Forest Whitaker
Angela – Regina King
Miguel Ramirez – Carlos Mencia
Directed by Rick Fumuyiwa. Written by Wayne Conley, Malcolm Spellman and Famuyiwa.
