The Wedding Planner (2001)

Director:

Adam Shankman

Writers (WGA):

Pamela Falk (written by) &
Michael Ellis (written by)

Release Date:

26 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

His big day is her big problem.

Plot:

Mary Fiore is the wedding planner. She's ambitious, hard-working, extremely organized, and she knows...

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Doctor | Gown | Arranged Marriage | Dumpster

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Lopez	...	Mary Fiore
Matthew McConaughey	...	Steve Edison
Bridgette Wilson	...	Fran Donolly (as Bridgette Wilson-Sampras)
Justin Chambers	...	Massimo
Judy Greer	...	Penny
Alex Rocco	...	Salvatore
Joanna Gleason	...	Mrs. Donolly
Charles Kimbrough	...	Mr. Donolly
Kevin Pollak	...	Dr. John Dojny
Fred Willard	...	Basil St. Mosely
Lou Myers	...	Burt Weinberg
Frances Bay	...	Dottie
Kathy Najimy	...	Geri
Cortney Shounia	...	Mary Fiore - Age 7
Philip Pavel	...	Benton

Also Known As:

Wedding Planner - verliebt, verlobt, verplant (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual humor.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:AL | Norway:A | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Crystal Spring Lakes, San Mateo County, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Sarah Michelle Gellar was originally set to star, but had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997).

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Steve tracks down Mary in the park, you can see their breath, even though it is supposed to be June. However, at night in San Francisco, it can get that cold.

Quotes:

Mrs. Kitty Donolly: Well, somebody stole my lucky mike. I can't sing without my lucky mike.
[Mary winks at Fran]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Villains (#6.20)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Encantada

Only of your girlfriend really wants to see it.

The Wedding Planner tells an identifiable story about falling in love and failing to recognize it.

The Wedding Planner stars Jennifer Lopez as Mary Fiore, a hardworking, beautiful, single woman of Italian descent, who has made a reputable career as a wedding planner. Fully dedicated to her work, Mary successfully coordinates all the details of her wealthy clients' weddings. She even acts as a kind of therapist, transmitting to the brides and grooms-to-be the optimism that relieves them of their "second-thoughts", and that allows them to fulfill their true dreams of marrying. Yet one day, a literal "faux pas" turns Mary's orderly life upside-down: she walks across a street and gets her shoe stuck in a manhole. Just then, a dumpster menacingly rolls down the steep San Francisco street, towards her. Noticing that the dumpster is rapidly gaining speed, a young man rushes to help Mary out of her dilemma. The two are instantly enveloped by the rush of the moment, falling victims to love at first sight. Soon, however, fate shows its cruel side, proving that the handsome Steve Edison (Mathew McConaughey) is tied to Fran Donelly (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras), one of Mary's most promising clients. In the meantime Salvatore (Alex Rocco), Mary's concerned father, tries to inspire her to consider her childhood inamorato Massimo (Justin Chambers), who just arrived from Italy. Torn between acting sensibly and fulfilling her long suppressed dreams of marrying, Mary must first determine which love is the one destined for her.

The Wedding Planner exploits the physical beauty of its star (Lopez) and emphasizes her character's style and professionalism at work, while defining her personality as that of a free-spirited, down-to-earth person who enjoys dancing and playing Bingo with her father and his elderly friends. Similarly, her costar (McConaughey) is depicted as a good-looking, sensitive man who enjoys his work as a pediatrician. However, the film's secondary characters, especially Mary's family, friends and coworkers, are sketchy and mostly inconsequential. Thus, The Wedding Planner creates a story that solely revolves around the coupling of its two main characters; a choice which makes The Wedding Planner's plot extremely predictable, although at times amusing. While the plot complications are limited to the unavailability of either of the two main characters (where Steve is unable to abandon his prior commitments and Mary is ready to take up new ones), The Wedding Planner is most enjoyable when it creates romantic settings for its lovesick characters.