Shotgun Wedding

“I want to be romantic, but not too corny,” explains the perfectionist groom at the start of Shotgun Wedding, a romantic comedy about prenuptial drama that fails on both counts.

Despite a lively pace and some scattered big laughs, this saga of a squabbling couple whose dream ceremony is threatened by vicious pirates lacks an underlying depth and sweetness to generate emotional investment either as a rom-com or an action thriller.

The film opens with extended families gathering at an extravagant destination wedding for lawyer Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and ex-baseball star Tom (Josh Duhamel) on a lush private island in the Philippines.

Alongside the usual awkward toasts, drunken flirtations, and surprise guests nobody wants to see, there’s plenty of passive-aggressive hostility. Darcy’s rich father (Cheech Marin) has brought his young new girlfriend, much to the chagrin of his ex-wife (Sonia Braga). Tom’s mother (Jennifer Coolidge) is just there for the free booze and beach time. Then comes Darcy’s ex-boyfriend (Lenny Kravitz), whose presence elevates the stress level.

Just as Tom and Darcy begin questioning their commitment on the eve of the ceremony, masked marauders storm the beach house and take everyone else hostage, leaving their romantic feelings as the least of their concerns.

As directed by Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect), the film showcases some lovely tropical scenery to complement two stars who convey both charisma and charm as they transition to action-hero mode. Lopez, in particular, is well within her genre comfort zone.

The quirky and stereotypical periphery characters are mostly self-absorbed and insufferable until we’re forced to root for them — albeit marginally — by default because, well, they’re not ruthless terrorists with machine guns.

The broad concept of bickering lovebirds surviving an exotic jungle is hardly original, from Romancing the Stone to The Lost City. In this case, the flat screenplay by Mark Hammer (Two Night Stand) features sketchy villains, a thin back story, and lackluster action set pieces. The scenario gets more ridiculous as it goes along, but without the substance to support the chaos.

Hollywood’s latest gut-punch to the Filipino tourism industry — after the recent Plane saw Gerard Butler likewise attacked by mercenaries — Shotgun Wedding is more exhausting than endearing even before it reaches the altar.

Rated R, 101 minutes.