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Supporting
Cast steals the show at ‘The Wedding Singer’
By Daniel Hines
Publisher
TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
‘The Wedding Singer’ is a show with so much
potential, and some pretty good actors in
place—but comedy is hard.
Anticipating something more like the
wonderful and delightful ‘Mamma Mia’, we had
to settle for the admittedly strong
contribution of the supporting cast which
added some important—and needed dimension—to
the production.
By now, probably everyone is familiar with
the concept of the show thanks to Adam
Sandler and Drew Barrymore…but don’t expect
that kind of quirky likeability that Sandler
seems to convey with his ‘Everyman’ can get
the girl, be the strongest guy in town, or
‘street-wise philosopher’ with a mix of
sarcasm, but tenderness.
Perhaps it is not fair to ask Merritt David
James to tackle Sandler’s role of Robbie, a
leader of a really weird band that performs
at—you guessed it—weddings. And therein
lies the potential—funny, stupid weddings…a
band with a punk and a wanna-be Boy
George…being left at the altar…and then
finally finding real happiness with a new
bride (who gratefully chooses Robbie over a
pompous junk bond dealer).
But, unfortunately, James seldom comes
through as much more than a one-dimensional
character that reminds us of an old
cardboard cutout of Elvis.
On the other hand, his band—George, played
with just enough understatement as to be
truly effective, by John Jacob Lee, and
Sammy, a really humorous stereotype of how
someone might conceive being a ‘rocker ‘ in
the ‘80s certainly will remind you of
someone you knew if the ‘80s is your era,
provide laughs as some truly likable
characters.
Erin Elizabeth Coors is an appropriately
air-head Julia, who first befriends the
rejected Robbie only to eventually (guess
what!) fall in love with him. While not a
lovable Pixie like Barrymore, she is up to
the task of providing some fun numbers,
especially when she urges a drunken Robbie
to come up out of the dumpster into which he
was thrown by a disgruntled audience after
he vents his frustration at being left at
the altar.
A special word about Penny Harper, who plays
Robbie’s Grandmother. We enjoyed a truly
delightful interview with her on TSN Radio
on the Web (click here to hear interview).
And, we were not disappointed in her
scene-stealing opportunities as Robbie’s
Grandmother Rose. A real veteran with a
great show business heritage (parents who
were headliners in Vaudeville), Penny is
genuinely fun and funny. She offers great
timing and, even with her limited
appearances, she develops the necessary
dimensions of her character.
And therein lies the challenge, not of the
show’s concept, but of Robbie and several
others—a connection with the audience.
It ‘s ironic that this should happen. The
Fox has scored some wonderful successes this
season with a look to the past—the wonderful
Beatles tribute ‘Rain’, the Rat Pack Tribute
to Sinatra, Martin and Davis, and the
eagerly awaited presentations of ‘Mamma Mia’
and ‘The Jersey Boys.’ ‘The Wedding Singer’
could have been a perfect fit with this
stroll down memory lane. Perhaps, with the
help from some of the really good supporting
cast, it will fulfill its potential.
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