When it comes to any family get together especially weddings or wakes, sometimes you just want to hide away in the corner and hope you’ll be forgotten about. In Jeff Blitz‘s Table 19 you may just get that hiding place amongst the forgotten, misfits and weirdos!With Jay and Mark Duplass onboard scripting, you would hope the darlings of indie comedy and a decent cast led by Anna Kendrick, it has the makings of a classic Duplass dramedy.In the moment at a wedding “If anyone knows of a reason to prevent this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace“, you’ll wish someone had the nerve to say ‘me!’, as Table 19 is the movie version of Best Man’s wedding speech…humourless.

Anna Kendrick plays Eloise who was meant to be best friend’s maid of honour, but her boyfriend Teddy (Wyatt Russell) the maid’s brother dumps her over a text message. She still receives an invite and hesitant to accept or go not. After deciding to go, she arrives at the reception only to find out she’s been relegated to Table 19. The table of losers and ‘guests’ the happy couple are obliged to invite.

The table is slap bang at the back of the reception room which makes Eloise regrets minute by minute accepting the invite. She joins the table which has a bickering diner-owning couple, Jerry & Bina (Craig Robinson, Lisa Kudrow), the bridesmaid pot smoking ex-nanny Jo (June Squibb). Sexually frustrated Renza (Tony Revolori) whose harassed by his mum, and Walter (Stephen Merchant) socially awkward ex-convict with an IQ that struggles to rise above double figures. The fivesome slowly realise no one really cares about them they all start to bond especially when the pot comes out, so does the secrets.

This movie was an incredible waste of talents, with a cast that has all previously proven they all have a funny bone.The Duplass Brothers we all know are talented filmmakers but like their compadres The Coen Brothers they have written their Gambit, a movie they want to forget about.

The movie is plagued by shifts in tone and gags that fall flat on its face. There are funny moments (usually from Merchant) but they become too sporadic. Things get ruined by mixing things with melodrama, cliches and emotion that feels too artificial.

★★| Paul Devine

Comedy, Romance | USA, 2017 | 12A | 20th Century Fox Pictures |Dir.Jeff Blitz |Anna Kendrick, June Squibb, Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson, Tony Revolori, Stephen Merchant, Wyatt Russell

Originally posted at The Peoples Movies | 7th April 2017