The reviews are starting to trickle in for License to Wed, in theaters July 3, and they’re not pretty. The Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycutt starts his with this bold statement: "Comedies don’t get much lamer than License to Wed. Working from a flawed premise with characters lacking credibility and plot turns more moronic than funny, the movie flatlines in about five minutes." Variety’s Brian Lowry concurs: "Unleashing Robin Williams in the least flattering possible manner, License to Wed squanders the modest chemistry between its appealing central couple — Mandy Moore and The Office’s John Krasinski — uniting its elements in an astonishingly flat romantic comedy, filled with perplexing choices. Tossed into the summer season, pic is at best a relatively harmless way to enjoy air conditioning for those who admire Williams’ ability to riff, even at his most irritating; otherwise, Warner Bros. should see its theatrical stay quickly annulled."
I’m not bashing the movie — which my mother, one of the aforementioned Williams fans, has already informed me that we’re seeing when I visit this weekend — for those reasons. I’m bashing it for this one: I could’ve written those reviews from the trailer (below). Couldn’t they have at least made the trailer funny? I suppose we should be thanking them for honesty in advertising, but really, trailers for comedies should be funny. I laughed once, and only because I find anyone getting hit in the head with anything funny.Did you laugh at this trailer? What other previews for comedies have you found decidedly unfunny?
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I was watching Knocked Up last night with a friend, and after that little intro spiel I leaned over and said “Someone once said Robin Williams was funny, but that someone probably never watched one of his movies.” It seems like the trailers to all of Williams’ recent comedies have been terrible (Man of the Year & RV come to mind), but to be fair, they were advertising some pretty wretched movies.
*This trailer came on before the feature.
Ummmmmmmm, that was, in a word, thestupidestthingihaveeverseeninmylife.
I’ve been cringing at this trailer for weeks now. I love Mandy Moore and John Krasinski, but this movie looks HORRIBLE! Someone please put Robin Williams out of his misery.
um… Robin Williams hasn’t starred in a funny comedy since Mrs. Doubtfire. Nonetheless, I had high hopes for this film, wishing that they left the good comedy out of the trailer for the actual movie. Somehow, I don’t think that’s the case…
I love John Krasinski, but any movie that features either: 1. that annoying Josh Flitter kid as a sidekick, or 2. creepy robot babies that throw up, would be disqualified from my definition of “entertainment.” Oh yeah, Robin Williams doesn’t look at all funny either. John–I love ya–better luck with your next project. We won’t hold you personally responsible for this one.
The only funny part (in the theatrical preview anyway) is the MC Hammer reference, and that is a sad state of affairs. Krasinski and Moore are among my two favorites on the planet but Robin Williams (and the script) really appear to be stinking up the joint.
I find the trailer to I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry to be patently unfunny.
It’s funny that you bring it up because my girlfriend and I actually went out of our way to mention how terribly lame the trailer for “License to Wed” was (which is a shame because we both love us some John Krasinski). It was so bad that we both agreed, based on the trailers, that we’d rather see “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”
As for other terrible, recent trailers, “Norbit” was pretty painful. It was the opposite of funny and it convinced me that I would never EVER watch that movie. (and made me a little embarrassed for Thandie Newton). Also, the trailer for “Bratz: The movie” is one of the worst things I’ve seen all year.
Why does Mandy Moore keep getting work? Has she ever been in a successful film?
I used to be such a Robin Williams fan, but I just don’t think he’s funny anymore. It’s the same, tired schtick. The trailer for this movie just makes me sad. I love John Krasinski, but it might be awhile before I want to watch him not being Jim in the Office.
That Chuck and Larry movie looks horrrrible! It’s embarrassing.
I remember Robin Williams being very funny when I was a kid. I loved to watch old reruns of Mork and Mindy at a young age and I loved him as Genie in Disney’s Aladdin, but I definitely think his brand of humor has not gotten any better with age. I’ve outgrown Robin Williams.
I feel like I’ve already seen this movie just from the trailers. I don’t even think it’s because of how much they show in the trailers, but because it’s just so damned predictable. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Mandi Moore’s acting. She was great in Saved. I just wish she would stop letting them typecast her in all these cutesy romantic comedies so we could really see if she’s got what it takes as an actress. Have we learned nothing from Meg Ryan?
I’m sorry to hear this movie is not getting good reviews. I like Mandy and John Krisinkski, and I wanted to watch this despite Robin Williams. Unfortunately, this looks like it’s going to be the “You, Me, & Dupree of Summer 2007″. CHUCK & LARRY looks mildly funny. I’ll probably end up watching it. As to truly awful trailers, the “Jessica Simpson Trilogy” has been absolutely awful (DUKES OF HAZZARD, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH, & BLONDE AMBITION). Who told this insipid blonde she was actress?
I cringe everytime i see the I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY trailer. That is by far the unfunniest trailer I have ever seen.
I hate trailers for comedies…but for a different reason.
I think trailers include TOO MANY of a movie’s key scenes which means that, by the time I see the movie in theaters, nothing is fresh and, in turn, nothing is funny.
To avoid this problem, all comedy trailers should do what “The Devil Wears Prada” did: show one long clip of the movie. That way, just one funny scene will be ruined instead of ALL the funny scenes. Well, actually “The Devil Wears Prada” was a pretty terrible movie so there weren’t many scenes to ruin but still.
I gotta agree with all the Chuck and Larry haters. That trailer is horrible. I never got the Adam Sandler thing, and that James dewd, I don’t mind him on television when I’m switching channels around at least its free channels that I glance him on, but I can’t see myself paying to get 140 minutes of him.
The “License to Wed” movie looks incredibly bad, which is a pity since it has a few awesome “Office” denizens in it. Ditto “Chuck and Larry” which not only looks unfunny but actively offensive. Which is also a pity because Sandler used to do hilarious movies and Kevin James was the best thing about “Hitch.”
Working in the exhibition industry, I see a lot of movies, and I had to sit through the trailer for Evan Almighty 3 times. Every time was a pretty packed theatre and I’ve never heard such stony silence. It was actually weird. Not that it was funny at all, but Steve Carell – he’s a good guy – I feel bad he landed in such (expensive) crap.
Remember when you saw a trailer for a comedy, laughed a little, and then you watched the movie and noticed the funniest scenes were on the trailer? Yeah…John Krasinski, damage control…now.
Is it me or is Robin Williams just playing the same character over and over. And please stop rapping in all your movies and tv appearances! Not funny!
I’ve been dreading the release of this movie because I knew from the trailer it wasn’t going to be funny. Poor John Krasinski. I thought there was hope for the movie until I saw the trailer in which Mandy Moore drives blindfolded and still manages to parallel park. Just too stupid.
Dear Mandy,
I am so sorry I won’t be seeing “License to Wed.” I have long supported all of your ventures at almost any cost. I saw “A Walk to Remember,” for chrissake, and “Chasing Liberty” – twice. Very few things could keep me from one of your movies: subway strike; loss of limb; death of pet.
But Robin Williams?!?! Come ON!
All my love,
W.G.
You know seeing how funny he is on The Office, I thought that we would see something a lot better from John Krasinski than this piece of smelly tripe. And OMG is Robin Williams really that hard up for cash? Hey TVLAND, start showing more reruns of Mork and Mindy, Williams is really desperate!
Mandi, I went to a press screening last Wednesday and was PLEASANTLY surprised. I laughed & thought Robin Williams was funny again, after I wouldn’t have DARED venture into the theater to see his past few movies! Who cares about a poorly cut trailer?? Go with your mom and enjoy the film! Everyone I went with last week, ALL admitted we all thought it was going to suck, but found ourselves laughing left & right! Granted, I’m not a John Krasinski fan, and don’t watch the Office, so if you go expecting him to steal the show, then, yeah, maybe you will be slightly disappointed, but I have actually been RECOMMENDING LICENSE TO WED to friends all week. Maybe you should have actually seen the film before posting this item & just reviewing the trailer, you might change your tune…
Wow, I just read al the other posts…I am the ONLY one supporting LICENSE TO WED! But in all fairness, it also appears that I’m the only one thats seen it too. Anyways, after reading all these negative reviews of the flimsy trailer, i suggest that some of you, if not all of you, give this movie an actual chance. I assure you, I laughed. And considering I still haven’t seen KNOCKED UP, it was one of the better comedies I’ve seen in a theater in some time…
The last two Thursday nights there have been The Office episodes strung together. Between episodes Steve Correll and then John Krasinski ran clips and hyped their movies. Not one clip of either movie was the least bit funny.
The best part of whole thing were so many Office episodes. You want a good two hour funny movie comedy? Four Office episodes.
Robin William’s movies for the last decade have gone from bad to worse. I cringe each time I see one of his upcoming movie trailers. Even when he’s interviewed he goes on and on telling not so funny jokes. Recently when asked what he thought of the iPhone he said, I need an iWife, one that will have a menu that will allow me do choose what I want her to do – SO STOOOPID!
Poor Mandy, I’m sure when she read the script it was great. But when she found out Robin was going to be cast it was too late to get out.
This trailer and Chuck & Larry are definitely bad (nice how in that one 30 seconds of implied gayness had to be offset with three minutes of Adam Sandler oggling Denise Richards’s breasts, so that everyone would know it was really okay to watch). But the worst comedy trailer I’ve seen in recent years was for some movie involving dog poop spray and a dead horse (I could probably figure out what it was called, but I don’t actually care). It was about six hours long and so unfunny I think it actually sucked some of the humor out of the world.
Daisy you sucked the words right out of my mouth! Chuck & Larry would be cutting edge if at the end the two guys did fall in love.
Same old, same old. I hate these over the top Robin Williams characters. He’s much better in serious films these days. He should just go on hiatus from comedy for a few years.
Otherwise, the movie might be mildly enjoyable but forgettable.