When I say that the “The Engagement Party” is a wacky movie, I don’t mean that in a good way. The winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Edmonds International Film Festival certainly has a lot going for it when it comes to crowd pleasing, but as a family drama, it’s torture.
Following a day in the life of a young Jewish couple at their engagement party, the cast of what seems like non-actors fails to deliver anything other than a big plate of schmaltz. Katy and Matthew deal with the problems a lot of couples face when preparing for marriage. But with the major conflicts and conversation revolving around gifts, a Kosher kitchen, what’s for dinner and engagement rings, I have to ask, is this really material worthy of a movie? It’s more like watching insanely boring home videos. I didn’t expect to be shocked by this film but during the dull family drama Matthew’s father is caught by the kids getting a blow job! A BJ in a closet! I am not kidding! It seems totally unlikely that this 50 year-old man would risk disrupting a family gathering just to get a blow job from another man. As a story point, it’s forced and unrealistic. Besides investing more time in writing a better script, the filmmakers might also look into getting better wigs for some of the cast, Matthew’s sister’s hair was about as fake as the dialog.
