The Right Bride - Mermaids Tick Differently - DVD

Movie: When children's book author Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) invites his buddy Marshall (Reece Thompson) on a road trip together, Marshall is convinced that the trip is meant to rekindle their slightly frayed friendship. But he soon discovers that Sam has very different motives - he wants to win back his ex-lover Zoe (Uma Thurman). But the older woman is about to get married to the globetrotter and documentary filmmaker Whit Coutell (Lee Pace). Sam wants to prevent that at all costs. And so, with a very disappointed Marshall, he unceremoniously shows up at a party at the beach house where Zoe is getting married that weekend. And although the bride-to-be wants to get rid of her ex as soon as possible, her brother Teddy (Jake Johnson) and Whit invite the two wedding crashers to stay with them at the beach house until the wedding. And so it's only a matter of time before this weekend degenerates into emotional chaos...

The Right Bride - Mermaids Tick Differently is the likable directorial debut of Max Winkler, who has already had the opportunity to prove his comedic flair behind the camera on comedy series like New Girl and The New Normal. Winkler attempts to tell a rather ordinary genre story in a slightly more unconventional way. That's not to say Winkler doesn't adhere to the rules of romantic comedy. Rather, he's trying hard not to let it degenerate into an embarrassment orgy of crude fecal humor, which seems almost impossible since works like the American Pie or Hangover movies.

While Winkler isn't completely without gags, either, the level of which is kept a little lower or simpler. But overall, he relies more on his story and the charm of his characters than on flat zingers and stale corny jokes. He is supported to the best of his ability by the fine ensemble of actors he was able to enlist for his debut. Whether Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies, The Hobbit), Jake Johnson (New Girl) or Rebecca Mader (Lost), even small supporting roles are really well cast. The only shortcoming, really, is that things don't really spark between the otherwise really convincing leads Michael Angarano and Uma Thurman. Sure, it's made very understandable why Sam is totally smitten with the older Zoe. But why she too is so attracted to the very youthful children's author is only partially believable.

But in the end, The Right Bride - Mermaids Tick Differently is, after all, a romantic fairy tale where not all aspects have to be absolutely believable. Max Winkler succeeded in creating a sympathetic romance, which could have done with a bit more bite. Because the film seems a little too harmless overall, which in the end leads to the fact that despite the good cast and the engaging atmosphere, it hardly stays in the memory for a long time. Certainly, much more could have been made out of the story's nice initial situation. But if you consider that the movie is a directorial debut, this weak point can be forgiven. Because even if The Right Bride - Mermaids tick differently is not the big hit, worth seeing is the romantic comedy for all fans of this subject all the time!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD is clean and radiates through its harmonious color scheme a very warm, engaging atmosphere. Good image sharpness and neatly matched contrasts also make for an overall positive impression of the visuals. Romantic comedies are generally not films that use a lot of sound effects. And so the dialogue and music are clearly in the foreground here as well, with real surround feeling coming up rather rarely. Nevertheless, that's still fully enough for a: Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD has 2 minutes of cut scenes, short outtakes (about 2:35 min.) and an extended version of Teddy's wedding speech (about 2:33 min.) to offer. In addition, there's a decent making of (approx. 21 min.), as well as a featurette consisting of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage about the director's work. A promo featurette (approx. 4:38 min.), some uncommented B-Roll footage (approx. 7 min.), as well as the short film by Whit (Lee Pace), who is seen briefly in the film (approx. 4 min.) and the trailer are also still on the bonus menu. Good!

Conclusion: The Right Bride - Mermaids Tick Differently is a charming little romantic comedy that scores with some nice snapshots and a likeable cast ensemble. Even if the romantic sparks don't really fly between Michael Angarano and the clearly older Uma Thurman, the story as a whole doesn't seem implausible and somehow endearing. Even if the wheel is not reinvented here and the whole thing comes across a little too well-behaved on balance, lovers of small American independent romances can safely take in this well-cast directorial debut by Max Winkler. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp