‘Shotgun Wedding’: A Ridiculous Action Rom-Com That Hits and Misses Its Mark

Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.

Shotgun Wedding was released on Prime Video on January 27, 2023. Its premise follows Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel)’s destination wedding in the Philippines which eventually erupts into chaos when pirates hold everyone hostage.

The film is exactly what you’d expect. Romance, comedy, and action. Wait, action? Usually typical rom-coms don’t include that element. It works well in this film. It’s a ridiculous romantic action-comedy film that features an all-star cast. 

Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel are both great in this and have lovely chemistry. Both actors deliver hilarious performances. Lopez and Duhamel played off each other really well and they were enjoyable to watch together and separately on my big screen. 

Lopez is a natural when it comes to the romantic comedy genre. She always gives a great performance. It was so good seeing Duhamel in a romantic film again. I loved him in life as we know it.

I mean you throw in the legend herself, Jennifer Coolidge, and she just levels up the humor in any film or TV show. She just delivers her lines effortlessly with every character she portrays.

Now, wait. The film gets moving once Darcy’s ex shows up at the wedding. Who is this mystery ex you may ask? Oh it’s non other than Lenny Kravitz. I haven’t seen Kravitz in a film since the hunger games. It was nice to see him on screen again.

Let me set up the story again. Darcy and Tom are having a destination wedding in the Philippines with their families in attendance. before the wedding can even start, pirates take the everyone hostage.

I like that there weren’t typical tropes in this. Instead of the damsel in distress, it’s the man in distress. Tom is the groomzilla who enjoys being in control as much as possible. It’s definitely not your average rom-com. The inclusion of the action sequences keep audience engaged and entertained.

While I did enjoy this film, there were some things I didn’t love. The story wasn’t a smooth ride. There were lots of things that happened that were predictable. The pacing went back and forth from being slow to fast.

Overall, it’s a film worth watching for the acting performances and if you’re in the mood to watch something that will make you laugh out loud.

Shotgun Wedding is available to stream exclusively on Prime Video.

Director: Jason Moore

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Coolidge

Producers: Benny Medina, Jennifer Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas