dazzerse13 Review of Honeymoon with Mom

Honeymoon with Mom (2006)

A jilted bride uses her honeymoon to holiday with her mother

[5/10 · 11 August 2007]

An interesting failure of a film, this probably has more to recommend it than many TV movies. The story has bride Virginia Williams jilted at the altar by her feckless fiancé Edward Finlay. Her mother, divorced and hard-nosed editor of a gossip mag Shelley Long, persuades her that they should use the pre-booked honeymoon to indulge in mummy-daughter time. But mum has her own agenda - the idyllic island resort is owned by a reclusive ex-astronaut (Jack Scalia)and mum needs a front-page exclusive... So far, so predictable. Romance? Reconciliation? Retching at saccharine overdose? Well, yes to an extent. Except that there's an essential intelligence here. Although the characters are broad-brush stereotypes, they're not simple TV-movie grotesques. Perhaps its her age, but Long eschews the physical slapstick that's been one of her trademarks and does a credible job as a mother keeping a hesitant grasp on her own emotional history (although she's less great at suggesting a gossip mag editor who's red in tooth and claw). From time to time, Long holds back on the emoting and you can actually see a character weighing up the pros and cons of her actions. She's matched by Williams, who isn't given a lot to do except express the various shades of 'perky'. However, Williams can play a nuance with impressive deftness. As with Long, there's emotional intelligence at work here - and the two of them make the script go further than you'd think it could. And finally, there's the storyline. Oh gosh yes, it's predictable. But it sidesteps the temptation to tie up the ending in pretty pink bows and ribbons. It accepts that romance is a means to happiness - it's not an end in itself: TV-movie sugar doesn't rot the teeth out of your head by the time final credits run. The faults in this movie are evident - it wouldn't stretch the intelligence of a two-year-old - but once you see its strengths, there's enough to recommend it on a wet afternoon.