Cliche romantic comedy at its finest, where "finest" is not necessarily good, "The Wedding Date," which unfortunately is not "The Wedding Crashers" as so many people seem to confuse the two, is now out on DVD, but who would buy such a thing? My guess is that any emotionally-staggered woman who loves romantic comedies so much that they would buy the same movie a hundred times just to suck all the sap from their bodies would. After all, most romantic comedies are just generic copies of one another.

"The Wedding Date" has a slightly unique plot - almost - in that it stars Debra Messing as Kat Ellis, a woman who was recently dumped and must now face the horrifying dilemma of attending her younger sister's funeral alone. Apparently, bombs going off in Iraq and planes crashing are not nearly as bad as going to a wedding by yourself. I'm pretty sure I did that the other day, and while it was a bit boring having no one to talk to, it certainly wasn't a death sentence. Anyway, she is so desperate that she pays thousands of dollars to hire a male escort, played by Dermot Mulroney, who, after "My Best Friend's Wedding," is quite experienced with such functions. What ensues is a comedy without many jokes that tries to capitalize on the fact that she is falling in love with a man who she has to pay to keep her company. If you have to pay a man to stay with you, you know you're in trouble - or you've found a really, really smart man. She somehow forgets the fact that she's falling in love with a man whose job it is to make women feel special. Hmm...

Anyway, there's nothing inherently wrong with "The Wedding Date," but yes, there's nothing worthwhile, either. I've never been a fan of Messing and I doubt I ever will be. I don't find her that attractive and typically she's quite annoying, and it's not a good combination. I have nothing against Mulroney, but he's not exactly a screen-capturing actor. Is this his first movie since "My Best Friend's Wedding?" It sure seems like it.

Those who really like romantic comedies will probably enjoy this one as it has the normal three act approach - characters hate each other, characters love each other, characters have to reunite after discovering a secret and getting in a fight. Members of the male species, even gay ones, should probably avoid this film at all costs. From a comedic viewpoint, there is very little to offer. I chuckled at one scene, but I can no longer remember what it was.

"The Wedding Date" is pretty harmless, but you're better off watching a dozen other romantic comedies before this one. The jokes aren't anything special and the drama was so dull that I don't even recall from the night before how it ends, though it's probably safe to assume that Messing ends up with someone at the end.

Review by Erik Samdahl.