License to Wed
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Ken Kwapis (director) |
| Products | Romantic comedy film |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Pictures |
License to Wed is a 2007 American romantic comedy directed by Ken Kwapis. Starring Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, and John Krasinski, the story revolves around a minister who mandates that an engaged couple undergo a demanding premarital course before he will officiate their wedding at his church. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures on July 3, 2007, the movie earned $70 million worldwide on a production budget of $35 million, despite receiving predominantly negative critiques.
Plot
Sadie Jones and Ben Murphy intend to wed in Sadie's family church, St. Augustine, which has no available wedding dates for two years. Upon learning of an unexpected opening just three weeks away, they must complete Reverend Frank Littleton's intensive marriage preparation program—condensed from three months to three weeks—to qualify for the ceremony.
The couple adheres to Frank’s stringent guidelines and undertakes difficult tasks designed to challenge their relationship, such as caring for malfunctioning robotic infants that particularly frustrate Ben. Unbeknownst to Sadie, Frank enforces a strict no premarital sex rule by secretly monitoring them through a hidden listening device installed in their home.
As tensions escalate, Ben delves into Frank’s history and discovers that Frank previously married an immigrant parishioner to help her remain in the country. Meanwhile, Sadie becomes uncertain about the wedding after feeling let down by Ben’s lack of readiness for his vows. Following a confrontation between Ben and Frank and Sadie’s decision to cancel the wedding, she departs for a vacation in Jamaica.
Rejecting advice to move on, Ben travels to Jamaica to find Sadie, where they reconcile after reevaluating their relationship. The couple ultimately marries on the beach with Frank officiating, successfully completing the course.
Production
In February 2005, Warner Bros. Pictures obtained the spec script written by Kim Barker. By March 2006, the principal cast was secured with Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, and John Krasinski attached. Filming commenced on May 16, 2006, at various sites including the First Congregational Church (Long Beach, California) in Long Beach. Director Ken Kwapis, recognized for his work on The Office, incorporated several cast members from the series—John Krasinski, Angela Kinsey, Mindy Kaling, and Brian Baumgartner—into the project.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a low approval rating of 7% based on 124 reviews, with an average score of 3.3/10; critics often cited Robin Williams’s repetitive comedic approach and a predictable storyline as major drawbacks. On Metacritic, it received a score of 25 out of 100 from 30 critics, reflecting generally unfavorable reviews. Conversely, audience polling by CinemaScore awarded it a "B+" grade.
Variety characterized the movie as "an astonishingly flat romantic comedy" plagued by questionable creative decisions. Reviewers such as Brian Lowry of Variety and MaryAnn Johanson of Flick Filosopher observed that Williams’s role came across as more disturbing than humorous, comparing his character more to a horror antagonist than a romantic comedy lead.
Box office
The movie generated $10.4 million during its debut weekend, securing the fourth position at the US box office, trailing behind Live Free or Die Hard, Ratatouille, and the chart-topping Transformers. As of November 11, 2007, License to Wed had accumulated $43.8 million in domestic revenue and a global total of $70.2 million, exceeding Mandy Moore's prior leading role earnings and achieving commercial success relative to its $35 million production cost.