2858. Marriage And Other Disasters (2010)

Starring: Margherita Buy, Fabio Volo, Luciana Littizzetto

Director: Nina Di Majo

Running Time: 90 mins

Marriage And Other Disasters (Matrimonio e altri disastri) is an Italian film about a woman unlucky in love who is tasked with organising her sister’s wedding, but soon finds herself growing close to a man she perhaps shouldn’t.

As a fairly harmless and well-meaning film, I find it a bit of a shame that I didn’t like Marriage And Other Disasters. It’s not a painful watch, and there are certainly far worse romantic comedies out there, but it’s a frustratingly generic film all the way through, doing next to nothing to break from the well-trodden rom-com formula.

Now, for some, that’s a comforting thing to hear. After all, romantic comedies are the comfort food of the movie world, and sometimes all you want to see is a film that sticks to what you know, and doesn’t provide too taxing a watch.

However, there’s something about Marriage And Other Disasters that just screams of unoriginality and lazy writing. With the exception of a couple of big laughs coincidentally at the very beginning and end of the film, this is a fairly lifeless watch, lacking great comedy as well as engaging (let alone emotionally captivating) storytelling.

Attempting to strike up somewhat of a romantic scandal as we see our main character grow close to her sister’s fiancé, the story is irritatingly predictable from the start, and with the exception of a couple of random twists that come completely out of the blue, the movie sticks very close to the most generic rom-com formula, and is perfectly happy that way.

Now, that does mean that Marriage And Other Disasters is a simple, easy-going watch, but it doesn’t have the charm or energy to really back that up. Just being simple is nice enough, but it doesn’t do much to stop the story from being boring, which is sadly what happens here.

That’s in spite of a well-meaning story that stars a likable and charismatic lead in Margherita Buy, as well as a couple of laughs here and there. It’s by no means a masterpiece of the romantic comedy genre, but this does still feel like a film that could have been so much more enjoyable, if only for a little more ingenuity.

Overall, Marriage And Other Disasters is a fairly disappointing watch. If you want an easy-going, simple romantic comedy that follows a totally predictable plot all the way through, then it’s a pleasant watch. However, it’s never particularly funny, never emotionally captivating, and never genuinely surprising, squandering what could have been a heartwarming and pleasant tale with a lack of ideas throughout. And that’s why I’m giving it a 6.0.