Purely Joyful Movie!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I think we all remember what our reaction was at the news that Haylie Duff would be starring in a romantic comedy opposite the multifaceted Chris Soldevilla: who the %$#! is Chris Soldevilla? All joking aside, of course we remember him from his stellar performance in the 2000 classic "Coyote Ugly" and eagerly anticipated his performance as Mitch in this film. We were not disappointed. Through forceful performances like this movie, Soldevilla has quietly built a reputation as a major player in the comedy genre, even as he has expanded his range in drama through such vehicles as "7 Minutes" (2014). We all eagerly anticipate future entries in the Soldevilla oeuvre.But as flawless and nuanced as Soldevilla is in "The Wedding Pact," the real acting tour de force in this film comes from Haylie Duff. We all see in Duff the depth and range of a young Meryl Streep and the wit and witticisms of a youthful Joan Blondell. She doesn't disappoint in this outing. As Elizabeth, Duff has solidified her position as the grand dame of romantic comedies, rivaling the comedic talents of such actresses as Carole Lombard and Edna Purviance.And who can forget Matt Berman, the wunderkind writer/producer who made this all possible. We all know him from the 2000 masterpiece "F.A.R.T.: The Movie," which the AMPAS shocking passed over in its nominations for a Best Director Oscar. Sam Mendes got lucky with "American Beauty" that year and we all know it. Travesties aside, the Academy will simply not be able to look the other way at Berman's brilliance in "The Wedding Pact" and maintain itself as a legitimate organization. One cannot find a more scrumptrulescent outing than "The Wedding Pact." Watch and be amazed; talent like this doesn't come along often.

Never mind that you know where this will end before it even begins (it's not that hard to guess, but that's the genre and other genres have similar "fates" with predictions), but do mind, that the jokes do not work as good, the script is weak and the acting is matching all that (in a bad way).The intentions are good of course and the movie tries to keep things interesting with flashbacks that are supposed to lighten up the mood or explain things, even if not necessary. Repeating a scene almost beat for beat, just from another characters perspective at the end does not help either (unless you have short time memory issues). Rather a waste of time than anything else then

This might be the worst movie I've ever seen. It comes across like someone's film school project. The idea is cute, but the script is awful, just packed with clichés and utterly predictable. The acting isn't bad, but the filmmaker gave them nothing to work with. I gave it 2 stars because I liked the use of flashbacks to catch the audience up on what happened, not just in college but in previous scenes. And the music was good. But otherwise, this is a real disappointment, and my standards are really not that high for romantic comedies - a couple of appealing leads and a smidge of cuteness, and I'm happy. This was painful to watch. And the message is simply awful. Jake is the most heinous individual imaginable - if Mitch really cared for her, how could he possibly let Elizabeth marry him? And how oblivious and stupid is Elizabeth that she can't see what kind of person Jake is? She tells Mitch she's marrying Jake because "he asked her" - what kind of lame reason is that for a modern woman about to get her social work degree? And the mom is the worst of all - she's willing to sell her lovely daughter to that repulsive man and his even worse father, just to keep her house? Get a job, you lazy cow - all she does is sit on the couch and watch TV all day. How did this movie get financed when there are a billion scripts in turnaround?

At the time of this writing, there is one other review giving the movie 10/10. Yikes! What we have here is a very light rom-com with good actors, a lot of clichés and some significant improbabilities in the story. However, it is inoffensive, it has high production values and looks very good, and there are a few chuckles along the way. You won't get any spoilers from me, but we all know how this will turn out.If you go in expecting anything more than harmless light entertainment, you will be very disappointed. If, however, you are looking for 90 minutes of easy fluff that you could watch with your niece and your Gran, you are in business. Special commendation to Buddy the dog, played skillfully by Hooligan the dog.