Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Frank and Lindsay—two emotionally-broken strangers—meet on the way to a destination wedding. Over the course of the weekend and against all odds, they find themselves drawn together even though they are initially repulsed by one another.
Destination Wedding is essentially a two-hander talky romantic comedy built almost entirely on the sardonic, rapid-fire banter between Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder. The plot is thin and predictable — two cynical misanthropes inevitably fall for each other — following a well-worn rom-com arc without meaningful subversion. The acting is the film's strongest suit: Ryder and Reeves have a peculiar, deadpan chemistry that carries the film, even if their delivery is occasionally stilted. Cinematographically it's unremarkable, competently shot California wine country scenery without distinctive visual ambition. Novelty earns a modest bump for its unusual commitment to keeping the cast almost exclusively to two characters and its unrelentingly cynical, self-aware tone — it has a singular voice even if the underlying concept isn't groundbreaking. The ending is predictable and emotionally underwhelming, resolving exactly as genre convention demands without earning the sentiment it reaches for.