When such a gifted comedian as Robin Williams stars as a priest that uses lyrics from M.C. Hammer's "Pray" for spiritual healing of an injured man in love, a divorce from laughter is in the works.
'License Wed' begins with darling, cute and loving couple Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore) and Ben Murphy (John Krasinski) desperately wanting to start their terrific life together. Sadie's one wish is to get married in the church her parents got married in. It just so happens that the priest there, Reverend Frank (Williams), has a little disclaimer if you sign up to get married at his church: a marriage prep course.
What the course entails ranges from a driving test in which Sadie is blindfolded while Ben directs her to caring for the aforementioned rusty twins of Home Economics. Rev. Frank's pint-sized apprentice (Josh Flitter) even goes so far as to bug Sadie and Ben's apartment to ensure that the "No Sex until the Honeymoon" requirement of the course, among other things, is fulfilled.
Ah, to be Catholic.
Essentially, the film is nothing that hasn't already been seen before: boy loves girl, boy pisses off girl, girl hates boy, and then girl loves boy again. And then til death do they part.
The laughs are few and far between, with Krasinski treating those twins like wrestling buddies in particular is a hoot to watch. In fact, Krasinski has a penchant at being great at being a bumbling, awkward man, a potential successor to John Ritter, the king of pratfalls. He seems to real feel intimidated by Williams' Rev. Frank and the threat he poses to his relationship with Sadie.
In addition, 12-year-old Flitter shows some promising comedic timing, especially when the majority of his scenes require to hold his ground right next to Williams.
And the thought of Williams as a priest of the Catholic Church is an idea that doesn't quite live up to what could have been great but instead ends up mediocre, at best.
Maybe it's the fact that I grew up Catholic and never saw any priest hip and cool enough, educated in the present day arts of youth language and communication, to ever buy someone as manic as Williams as a voice of God.
All the love and passion is in 'License to Wed.'
Wedded bliss it is not.
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