Review

"The Wedding Contract: Where Love Meets Legalese and Clichés Collide"

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a Hallmark movie and a legal drama had a baby, The Wedding Contract (2023) is here to answer that question—and then some. This film is like a Hallmark holiday movie, but instead of a quaint small town, we get a bustling city, and instead of a cozy bakery, we get a law firm. Oh, and instead of a charming widower who owns a Christmas tree farm, we get… a lawyer. Riveting, right?

The plot is as predictable as a Hallmark movie marathon in December. Girl (a free-spirited wedding planner) meets Boy (a rigid, by-the-book attorney). Girl and Boy hate each other. Girl and Boy are forced to work together on a wedding contract. Girl and Boy fall in love. Spoiler alert: there’s a montage of them awkwardly dancing at a wedding reception, and yes, it’s set to a ukulele cover of a pop song. Groundbreaking.

The chemistry between the leads is… well, let’s just say it’s about as convincing as the snow in a Hallmark holiday movie filmed in July. There’s a lot of bickering, a lot of longing glances, and a lot of moments where you’ll scream at your screen, “Just kiss already!” But hey, that’s the Hallmark formula, and The Wedding Contract sticks to it like glue.

The real star of the movie, though, is the contract itself. It’s like the MacGuffin of rom-coms. Will they sign it? Won’t they? Will they add a clause about who gets custody of the dog? (Spoiler: they do.) The contract gets more screen time than some of the supporting characters, and honestly, it’s the most well-developed relationship in the film.

In the end, The Wedding Contract is exactly what you’d expect: a fluffy, feel-good rom-com that’s as cheesy as it is charming. It’s not going to win any Oscars, but it might win a spot in your heart—especially if you’re a fan of Hallmark movies or just really love watching people argue about prenuptial agreements. Grab some popcorn, suspend your disbelief, and enjoy the ride. Just don’t forget to read the fine print.