ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

Wedding Daze stars Jason Biggs as Anderson, a twenty-something everyguy still recovering from the loss of his girlfriend - whose death by fatal heart attack coincided with his marriage proposal. When waitress Katie (Isla Fisher) accepts his dare-driven proposal, it shakes him out of his grief-stricken rut and into an engagingly awkward romance. Unfortunately, both characters come with a selection of hyper-wacky friends and relatives, who swiftly drag the film into madcap caper territory, complete with failed heists, sexual revelations and a dash for the aisle.

Somewhere at the heart of this film is a sweet little indie romance, buried alive by the weight of self-conscious kookiness. Ludicrous characters and bizarre plot threads are roughly crowbarred in everywhere, often looking as if they've wandered in from a completely different gross-out movie. Particularly horrific are Anderson's grisly swinger parents, and Katie's closet gay ex-boyfriend, so stereotyped he makes Lily Savage look like Bruce Willis. A bizarre ghost-girlfriend sub-plot is as confusing as it is unnecessary, and the tone becomes so uneven you could break your ankle on it.

"INDULGENTLY UNCONVINCING ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS"

When they get a chance, both Biggs and Fisher do a great job. Even Katie's mad circus-freak friends Matador (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Vanessa (Audra Blaser) ring true, and the scenes of Anderson and Katie getting to know one another are genuinely charming. But we see far too little of them, and far too much of the indulgently unconvincing adult characters, whose incomprehensible actions and erratic motivations grind the plot along. Overall, this looks like what happens after two incompatible films get hitched while drunk - hardly a match made in heaven.

Wedding Daze is released in UK cinemas on Friday 1st June 2007.