Destination Wedding

Destination Wedding Story: Frank (Keanu Reeves) and Lindsay (Winona Ryder) are two unpleasant people who meet each other on their way to a wedding, and begin a relationship of their own.

Destination Wedding Review: You’ve seen the format before – two people who can’t stand each other eventually start to have feelings and consider the consequences of being together. While that reads like a good rom-com flick, ‘Destination Wedding’ takes a whole different approach to the premise. Both Frank and Lindsay are anything but your standard lovable couple. They’re pessimistic to the point that they have rejected all the goodness in their lives. This goes against the casting grain for Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder who are both inherently likeable actors. Their respective characters meet en route to the said wedding; Lindsay is the ex-girlfriend of the groom and Frank is his brother. She is a basket case whose romance with Frank’s brother didn’t end well. Frank is a misanthrope who doesn’t see the purpose of relationships. In fact, the only commonality they share is that they are both entirely closed off to falling in love.

All of this sounds like the perfect setting for a delightful indulgence where the lead pair can’t resist each other, eventually giving in to the destiny that love presents. But writer-director Victor Levin chooses to take the road less travelled. He focuses the entirety of the film on making them so unpleasant that you’re left wondering why anyone would seriously consider being involved with them, to begin with. This is particularly the case with Frank who seems to have virtually no redeeming qualities and is emotionally stunted by his existential crisis. On the other hand, Lindsay is a romantic at heart, disillusioned by the shattering experiences she’s had in prior relationships. The sole reason to watch these two actors is their undeniable charm that shines through despite their dysfunctional characters.

But that can only go a short distance, especially when the actors are going through volumes of dialogue that sound too fabricated to be real. It certainly doesn’t help that they have no conversation with any other actors in the film; a bold directorial choice that falls flat because it further alienates the audience from the pair rather than bring us closer to them. There’s not much humanity to be found in this cynical outlook, and although marketed as a romantic comedy, there’s too little of either to warrant a trip to this ‘Destination Wedding’.