''Wedding Wars'' is a 2006 American

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by

Jim Fall James Fall (born December 13, 1962) is an American film and television director and film producer. He is best known as the director of ''Trick (1999 film), Trick'' (1999) and ''The Lizzie McGuire Movie'' (2003). Career Fall's directorial debut ...

, written by Stephen Mazur, and starring

John Stamos John Phillip Stamos ( ; born August 19, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for his contract role as Blackie Parrish on the ABC television soap opera ''General Hospital'', for which he was nominated for the Da ...

Eric Dane Eric William Dane (born November 9, 1972) is an American actor. After multiple television roles in the 1990s and 2000s, which included his recurring role as Jason Dean in ''Charmed'', Dane was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan on the ABC medical drama tel ...

Bonnie Somerville Bonnie Somerville (born February 24, 1974) is an American actress and singer. She has had roles in a number of movies and television series, most notably as Mona in ''Friends'', ''NYPD Blue'', ''Grosse Pointe'', '' The O.C.'', ''Cashmere Mafia ...

James Brolin James Brolin (, born Craig Kenneth Bruderlin; July 18, 1940) is an American actor. Brolin has won two Golden Globes and an Emmy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 27, 1998. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin. He is ...

and

Sean Maher Sean Maher (born April 16, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Simon Tam in the science fiction television series ''Firefly'' and follow-up movie ''Serenity''. Early life Maher was born in Pleasantville, New York to Jos ...

. Executive produced by

Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...

and

Craig Zadan Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...

, the film was written by Stephen Mazur. It premiered in the United States on December 11, 2006 on A&E. 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 Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

. Stamos appeared on the cover of the

news magazine ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States *''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...

'' to promote ''Wedding Wars''. 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 Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

'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.

Cast and characters

- Shel Grandy *

- Ben Grandy *

- Maggie Welling *

- Governor Conrad Welling *

- Ted Moore

Production

Of Stamos director Fall said, "John's incredibly charming ... which makes him the perfect conduit for the message of this movie." 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?" Executive producer

said, "John was always the first choice for the role." 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." ''Wedding Wars'' was filmed in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

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." 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."

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0823158, Wedding Wars 2006 films 2006 LGBT-related films 2006 romantic comedy films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films A&E (TV network) original films American comedy television films American LGBT-related television films American romantic comedy films Films about weddings in the United States Films directed by Jim Fall Films set in Maine Films shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia LGBT-related romantic comedy films Romance television films Same-sex marriage in film Same-sex marriage in television