Destination Wedding
| Destination Wedding | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Victor Levin |
| Written by | Victor Levin |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Giorgio Scali |
| Edited by | Matt Maddox |
| Music by | William Ross |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Regatta |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million[3] |
| Box office | $1.7 million[4] |
Destination Wedding[a] is a 2018 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Victor Levin, and stars Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves[5] as two strangers who turn out to be attending the same wedding in Paso Robles.
It was theatrically released in the United States on August 31, 2018, by Regatta.
Plot
Frank and Lindsay meet at the airport as they wait to board their flight to Paso Robles. As they talk, they realize that they are both in town for the same wedding. It is revealed that the groom is Frank's half brother and Lindsay's ex fiancée.
Throughout the weekend, Frank and Lindsay stick together, often going on walks to avoid participating in various activities with the other wedding guests. As they do so, they reveal more about their past and opinions on relationships. Although they butt heads on a lot of topics, they seem to find each other amusing and a connection forms.
Cast
- Winona Ryder as Lindsay
- Keanu Reeves as Frank
Production
Production wrapped in central California in August 2017.[6]
The film's score was composed by William Ross.
Release
In November 2017, Aviron Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, releasing it under their Regatta banner.[7] It was released on August 31, 2018.[8]
Reception
Destination Wedding has grossed a worldwide total of $1.3 million, plus $38,394 with home video sales.[4] According to Variety the production budget was $5 million.[3]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 86 reviews, and an average rating of 5.34/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Destination Wedding reunites Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder for a sour comedy whose initially promising misanthropic twist overpowers the chemistry of its leads."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10]
Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times panned the film calling it "a stubbornly unfunny 86 minutes that feels a lot longer."[11] Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times called the film "torture" adding "this would-be romantic comedy is grating, cheap-looking and a mighty drag: it also turns two seasoned, likable actors into characters you'll want to throttle long before the credits roll."[12] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C+ saying the script "comes on like a rom-com David Mamet freight train; its verbal turns are so wildly overwritten that all the actors can really do is hold on to the wheel well, racing through reams of ratatat dialogue."[13]
More positively, Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a B saying "Maybe this is what falling in love is like, and it's high time that rom-coms had the space for weirdos like these."[14] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars admitting that "some of the dialogue does border on overwritten...there's enough wit and finely observed pedantry to make up for the occasional indulgence." Of the film's stars Lee said "The pair share an easy, spiky chemistry and Reeves in particular shows himself to be surprisingly skilled at delivering such bile-filled dialogue."[15]
Notes
- ^ Credited onscreen as Destination Wedding, or A Narcissist Can't Die Because Then the Entire World Would End
References
- ^ Mitchell, Robert (30 August 2017). "Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder Reunite for 'Destination Wedding'". Variety. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
- ^ "Destination Wedding". AMC Theatres. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Barraclough, Leo (September 2, 2017). "'47 Meters Down' Producer Fyzz Facility Recruits Former Ingenious Exec Charles Auty (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ a b "Destination Wedding (2018)". The Numbers. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (August 30, 2017). "Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder Team Up for 'Destination Wedding'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ Mitchell, Robert (30 August 2017). "Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder Reunite for 'Destination Wedding'". Variety. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (November 27, 2017). "Aviron Pictures Acquires 'Destination Wedding' With Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder". Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ Barfield, Charles (May 16, 2018). "'Destination Wedding' Trailer: Keanu Reeves And Winona Ryder Awkwardly Fall In Love In New Rom-Com". The Playlist. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- ^ "Destination Wedding (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ "Destination Wedding Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (August 30, 2018). "Review: Dismal Keanu Reeves-Winona Ryder pairing in 'Destination Wedding' dooms Keanona from ever being a thing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ Catsoulis, Jeanette (August 30, 2018). "Review: This 'Destination Wedding' Does No One Any Favors". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ Greenblatt, Leah (August 30, 2018). "Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves are better than Destination Wedding deserves: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (August 30, 2018). "'Destination Wedding' Review: Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, Reinvented as Adorable Misanthropes". IndieWire. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ Lee, Benjamin (August 30, 2018). "Destination Wedding review – Keanu and Winona reunite for mean-spirited romcom". The Guardian. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
