Wedding Season review
Eighty percent of a good romantic comedy comes down to the chemistry between the two leads. There are not many original concepts left in the genre. If the chemistry is there and a halfway decent script, prepare to be swept away for a highly enjoyable 90-minute rom com ride.
Wedding Season thrives on the dazzling connection of stars Pallavi Sharda and Suraj Sharma. They’re backed by a strong supporting cast and a smart, funny script.
Sharda (Tom & Jerry) is Asha, a math whiz who’s left the banking industry to work for a non-profit where she has a chance to make a greater impact. Asha’s mother (Veena Sood) is putting the full court pressure on her to meet a nice guy and get married.
It doesn’t help that Asha called off her previous engagement and her younger sister, Priya (Arianna Afsar), is putting the final touches on her wedding. At least Asha’s father (Rizwan Manji, Paterson), isn’t nearly as pushy with her getting hitched.
To get her mom to ease up on the pressure, Asha agrees to go on a date with Ravi (Sharma, Happy Death Day2U). Like Asha, Ravi is also getting pressured to get married although it’s his father (Manoj Sood) pushing for him to settle down while his mother (Sonia Dhillon Tully) simply wants him to be happy.
Recognizing they’re both in a no-win situation, Asha proposes she and Ravi pretend to date — at least through an especially packed wedding season. That way they won’t have various aunties and uncles trying to introduce them to someone or have their parents ghostwrite their online dating profiles.
MORE:
- DC Comics reviews – 8/9/22 – DCeased War of Undead Gods #1
- Medicom reveals MAFEX Knightfall Batman, Bane, The Boys
- Green Lantern: Beware My Power review
- The Grey Man review
- Prey review
Debuting screenwriter Shiwani Srivastava wisely opts to develop Asha and Ravi beyond their fake dating. Asha is working on a big pitch that her incredibly supportive boss (Damian Thompson) thinks could lead to a major career ascension.
Ravi is somewhat mysterious with his past and plays coy about the work he does with his pal, Yoshi (Julius Cho). And he’s facing an uphill battle to work through his father’s disappointment in his career path.
In a nice touch for a film that features an underrepresented rom com demographic, Wedding Season features a diverse supporting cast. Cho doesn’t get a lot of screen time but makes the most of it with some funny moments. Thompson brings a calm, steady presence cliche-breaking take on the workplace boss and Sean Kleier (Ant-Man and The Wasp) delivers some big laughs as Priya’s well-meaning fiancé trying to honor his in-laws’ traditions.
None of that matters if Sharda and Sharma don’t make for a convincing couple. They have abundant chemistry that plays out very naturally as Asha and Ravi’s feelings start to develop beyond faking a relationship. Sharda and Sharma come off like they truly enjoyed working together, which is best exemplified in the numerous wedding reception dance scenes.
Director Tom Dey (Failure to Launch) keeps the film rolling at a good pace zooming through the various weddings with colorful montage sequences. Just as important, Dey doesn’t let the film fall into predictable genre trappings. Even the inevitable romance jeopardy moment plays out in a more organic and understandable manner.
Wedding Season is a RSVP worthy rom com that’s ideally suited for a quiet Netflix night at home.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Netflix