Wedding Wars

Wedding Wars is a 2006 American-Canadian made-for-television LGBT romantic comedy film directed by Jim Fall and starring John Stamos, Eric Dane, Bonnie Somerville, James Brolin and Sean Maher.[1][2] Executive produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, the film was written by Stephen Mazur.[1][2] It premiered in the US on December 11, 2006 on A&E.[2]

This article is about the 2006 film. For the VH1 television series, see Wedding Wars (TV series).
Wedding Wars
Written byStephen Mazur
Directed byJim Fall
StarringJohn Stamos
Eric Dane
Bonnie Somerville
James Brolin
Sean Maher
Music byMervyn Warren
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersNeil Meron
Craig Zadan
ProducerMichael Mahoney
CinematographyRon Stannett
EditorMargaret Goodspeed
Running time87 minutes
Production companyStoryline Entertainment
DistributorA&E
Release
Original networkA&E
Original releaseDecember 11, 2006 (2006-12-11)

Stamos portrays gay wedding planner Shel, who is prompted to speak out for his own right to marry when his brother Ben's (Dane) boss and future father-in-law Governor Welling (Brolin) speaks out publicly against gay marriage.[1][2]

Stamos appeared on the cover of the LGBT news magazine The Advocate to promote Wedding Wars.[2] The film was well-received, and it is the first of its kind to explore gay marriage.

Plot

Gay party planner Shel (Stamos) is organizing the wedding of his straight brother Ben (Dane) to Maggie (Somerville). But when Maggie's father and Ben's boss, Maine's Governor Welling (Brolin), makes a speech against gay marriage, Shel goes on strike for equal rights. His cause picks up steam and eventually spreads nationwide in a "no gays for a day" movement.[1][2]

Cast and characters

Production

Of Stamos director Fall said, "John’s incredibly charming ... which makes him the perfect conduit for the message of this movie."[2] He went on to explain, "I didn’t want to make just another ‘gay’ movie ... I wanted to make a point and really say something, but subtly. I wanted to show both sides without vilifying anyone. I wanted to win people over with comedy — and who better to help with that than someone who has been coming into their living rooms for years now?"[2] Executive Producer Neil Meron said, " "John was always the first choice for the role."[2] Stamos stated he was proud of the film, noting "Initially it’s not about this issue of gay marriage. It’s just the simple fact that his brother gets to have something that he can’t have, and why shouldn’t he get to have it? He can plan a wedding but can’t have one himself."[2]

Wedding Wars was filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[2]

Reception

The Advocate called Wedding Wars "A family comedy that manages to tackle the issue of same-sex marriage with light humor and a deft touch."[2]

In a December 2012 AfterElton.com interview, director Fall stated that he was very proud of the film, noting that "it was kind of subversive, because it really was an entertaining comedy. But the politics are clear in the movie and so I think a lot of people watched it as sheer entertainment but there’s an explicit political agenda going on. It was a very clever way, I think. Kind of a spoonful of sugar thing."[3]

References
  1. "Wedding Wars: About the Movie". AETV.com. A&E. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  2. Hundley, Jessica (November 20, 2006). "John Stamos pops our cork!". The Advocate. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  3. Halterman, Jim (December 7, 2012). "Exclusive: Director Jim Fall On His New Holiday Film And (Finally) The Trick Sequel". TheBacklot.com. AfterElton.com. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
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