Featured, Home, Movie Reviews

Movie Review: “Table 19” Delights With A Lovable Cast

[yasr_overall_rating]
 

Ex-maid of honor Eloise, having been relieved of her duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text, decides to attend the wedding anyway only to find herself seated with 5 “random” guests at the dreaded Table 19.

Before watching “Table 19,” I wondered how a movie about a table full of misfits at a wedding could hold my attention for two hours. I was reluctant to see this film expecting disappointment, but the creators had a few surprises in store for the audience. Writers Jay and Mark Duplass, along with director Jeffrey Blitz, put on an incredible show. Anna Kendrick stars as Eloise, the former maid-of-honor, along with Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant, Wyatt Russel, and Craig Robinson. While Anna is meant to be the star, Stephen Merchant’s character, Walter, steals the spotlight over and over again, like a cute puppy you can’t stop watching.

Eloise sits with her wedding RSVP card in her living room, deciding whether to burn it or attend the wedding. She chooses a combination of burning, checking yes and checking no, before finally sending in the card announcing she will attend. Once at the reception, we do not see the wedding, Eloise takes her sweet time deciding if she will go into the room and celebrate. Already at Table 19 are the rest of the misfits: a married couple Bina and Jerry; a high school student, Rezno, looking to make a love connection; an ex-con, Walter, with an English accent, and Nanny Jo, desperate to still belong to her former family. When Eloise finally joins the table she is quick to tell the group they are in fact the leftover table.

Mooning over the brother-of-the-bride, who is also the best man, Eloise meets a tall, dark stranger who gives her a reason to join the festivities. The table spends time figuring out who they each are to the bride and groom, and where they are in life. Bina and Jerry are potentially at the end of their marriage. Walter is the nephew no one wants; he needs alcohol to lie about his current life situation. Rezno has an overbearing mother determined to turn him into a playboy. Nanny Jo wants to be useful and make a difference in the lives of others. Then we hear Eloise’s story: She was dating the best man, Teddy, for a couple of years before breaking up under less than ideal circumstances. Hence Eloise, oldest friend of the bride, no longer serving as maid-of-honor.

With the help of tall, dark, and handsome, Eloise dances through the crowd making the best man jealous and causing a couple of conversations in the lobby, which better explain the circumstances of couples’ untimely demise. When she goes to the bathroom to cry over her situation, the entire gang from table 19 crowds into the ladies room to console her, and here starts the beginning of some beautiful friendships. The rest of the wedding is spent ruining the wedding cake and smoking pot with Nanny Jo in her hotel room, as each member of the misfit table tries to come to grips with the problems in their life. The Millner wedding serves as a group therapy session for Table 19, bring out the good, the bad, and the funny.

Many secrets spill out over the course of the day as Eloise comes to grips with the loss of a love and a friendship. A kiss from a stranger sparks a bit of magic and some electricity between multiple people. Everything that seems to be is not, in this epic tale of unlikely friendships. Be prepared to never think of Jalapeño’s the same. Your faith will be restored in humanity as strangers form unbreakable bonds. So many aspects of this movie made no sense until suddenly they do. Be prepared to laugh as some of the cast are mistaken for serving staff, someone jumps into the lake, and a dog is found hiding in the bathtub.

If you only see one movie in the month of March make sure you see “Table 19.” I cannot say enough good about this film, I kept the synopsis short to avoid giving away details which should only be seen on screen. This movie will be added to my rainy day collection to be watched multiple times. I love movies where seemingly unimportant information ends up unlocking doors and changing the perspective of the protagonist. “Table 19” will join many other romantic comedies as a new best friend to revisit often. Please make your way to the theater in an orderly fashion.

In theaters Friday, March 3rd

 

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments