The People We Hate at the Wedding is a new comedy from Amazon based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Grant Ginder. The story revolves around a pair of American siblings Alice (Kristen Bell) and Paul (Ben Platt) who begrudgingly agree to attend the wedding of their estranged (and wealthy) English half-sister Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) in the English countryside alongside their mother Donna (Allison Janney).
This movie was fun, but predictable. Each step along the way, it was easy to figure out what was going to happen next. I think going into it with zero expectations made the experience more enjoyable for me. Had I gone in expecting some sort of masterpiece, I would have been pretty disappointed. This was a typical movie about sucky people who figure out how to be less sucky by the end.
I think there was a cringey interaction between each pairing of characters at least once throughout the movie. There are some interactions that are truly hard to watch, but I think that is also kind of the point. It's a good reminder that we all do cringey things at one point or another in our lives and it's important to learn from it.
Another good life lesson to take away from this movie is that you never know what is actually going on with someone else. Alice is mad at Eloise for not being there for her through a tough time, but Eloise couldn't be there for her because she was going through something herself. Paul is mad at Donna for moving on quickly after his dad's passing, meanwhile Donna has kept a secret about his dad that makes it really easy for her to move on.
This has no bearing on my enjoyment of the film, but because I know this information, you must now know it as well. Annie Murphy was originally cast to play the role of Alice, who has an encounter with another traveler named Dennis, played by Dustin Milligan. While the interaction between Kristen and Dustin's characters was absolutely lovely, I would have loved to see a reunion of Annie and Dustin after their time together on Schitt's Creek. It's the Alexis/Ted shipper in me and I'm not afraid to admit that.
Overall, this movie is a solid escape from reality for an hour and a half. Go into it with an open mind, prepare for some cringe, and just let yourself laugh at other people's misunderstandings while ignoring the absolute craziness that is our current world.
The People We Hate at the Wedding is available to stream on Amazon Prime starting November 18, 2022.
