I am a bit of a sucker for a romantic comedy, in fact the cheesier the better, so on of Netflix’s latest offerings Love Wedding Repeat was sure to catch my attention and with Sam Clafin at the helm, it was a no-brainer really. The real question is whether Love Wedding Repeat has the staying power of a solid ‘perfect for date night’ movie or if it willl fall into the ‘something to put on in the background while I do housework’ category…

Presented as a sort of amalgamation of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Groundhog Day the plot centres around Jack (Clafin) as he tries to make sure his little sister, Hayley’s beautiful Italian wedding goes off without a hitch. As if weddings aren’t stressful enough, Jack has to juggle an angry ex-girlfriend, a reunion with the Girl Who Got Away, an uninvited guest who threatens to ruin the big day and a misplaced sleep sedative.

In an attempt to appear deep and philosophical, the film plays out alternate versions of the wedding reception as a wise old woman narrates about perfect timing, grabbing your chances whilst you can and the significance of the insignificant.

I think the tone of my last statement shows that, unfortunately, this film didn’t quite deliver on my expectations. As the wedding is held in Italy, with a vast majority of the guests being Italian, all the English guests are seated on one table, despite both Jack, as Father of the Bride, and Hayley’s best friend Bryan (Joel Fry) being key members of the Bridal party. Honestly, this is an obvious and rather lazy way of bringing the key characters together in one place.

The plot was poor at bet, lacking in any real depth or emotion, and the characters are a little under developed and one-dimensional. Questionable actions actions like spiking someones drink, pre-wedding adultery and a seemingly unhealthy relationship with prescription (?) drugs could have offered an interesting depth to the storyline but instead were glossed over and lacked in any real impact.

For me, Clafin has great leading man potential (think Me Before You) but just didn’t have a proper chance to shine here. His story, despite being the one we are supposed to be rooting for, felt too much like an afterthought and he lacked chemistry with his love interest, Dina who was rather woodenly played by Olivia Munn.

With the likes of Tim Key and Aisling Bea in the supporting cast there was a not unpleasant feeling of watching an episode of 8 out of 10 Cats. Key’s dry and subtle wit delivered some genuinely laugh out loud moments and Bea’s bubbly yet brash personality really shines making hers the most likeable character.

As a whole, the comedy is what saved film from being a total disappointment. Yes, it was a little juvenile and on the nose at times but it made me smile and it made me laugh, and sometimes that is all we need from a film. So whilst I may not be rushing to watch it again, it was a pleasant enough movie that helped pass a little time.

Love Wedding Repeat is available to stream on Netflix.