Destination Wedding is a 2018 American romanticcomedy-drama film written and directed by Victor Levin, and stars Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves as two strangers who turn out to be attending the same wedding in Paso Robles. It was theatrically released in the United States on August 31, 2018, by Regatta.
Plot
Frank and Lindsay meet at the airport as they wait to board their flight to Paso Robles. As they talk, they realize that they are both in town for the same wedding. It is revealed that the groom is Frank's half brother and Lindsay's ex fiancée. Throughout the weekend, Frank and Lindsay stick together, often going on walks to avoid participating in various activities with the other wedding guests. As they do so, they reveal more about their past and opinions on relationships. Although they butt heads on a lot of topics, they seem to find each other amusing and a connection forms.
In November 2017, Aviron Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, releasing it under their Regatta banner. It was released on August 31, 2018.
Reception
Destination Wedding has grossed a worldwide total of $1.3 million, plus $38,394 with home video sales. According to Variety the production budget was $5 million. , on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 52% based on 84 reviews, and an average rating of 5.34/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Destination Wedding reunites Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder for a sour comedy whose initially promising misanthropic twist overpowers the chemistry of its leads." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Michael Rechtshaffen of The Los Angeles Times panned the film calling it "a stubbornly unfunny 86 minutes that feels a lot longer." Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times called the film "torture" adding "this would-be romantic comedy is grating, cheap-looking and a mighty drag: it also turns two seasoned, likable actors into characters you’ll want to throttle long before the credits roll." Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C+ saying the script "comes on like a rom-com David Mametfreight train; its verbal turns are so wildly overwritten that all the actors can really do is hold on to the wheel well, racing through reams of ratatat dialogue." More positively, Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a B saying "Maybe this is what falling in love is like, and it’s high time that rom-coms had the space for weirdos like these." Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars admitting that "some of the dialogue does border on overwritten...there’s enough wit and finely observed pedantry to make up for the occasional indulgence." Of the film's stars Lee said "The pair share an easy, spiky chemistry and Reeves in particular shows himself to be surprisingly skilled at delivering such bile-filled dialogue."
