– By Cate Marquis –
At the beginning of TABLE 19, we see Anna Kendrick as Eloise struggling to decide whether to RSVP yes or no to a wedding invitation. She should have said no, and that might be the best advice for audiences thinking about seeing this film.
Kendrick plays Eloise, the ex-maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding, dropped after the best man, also the bride’s brother, suddenly broken up with her by text. The invitation is to the wedding, and she torn between going to her best friend’s wedding or avoiding the heartbreak of seeing her ex with his new girlfriend.
TABLE 19 might sound like it would be a raucous BRIDESMAIDS type comedy but the film is more a dramedy. The script is by Jay and Mark Duplass, whose works include indie film favs PUFFY CHAIR and JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME, but fans of the Duplass brothers shouldn’t get their hopes up, as neither one directs this film. The director is Jeffrey Blitz, who resume includes ROCKET SCIENCE and the documentary SPELLBOUND, and several TV shows, including THE OFFICE.
Besides Kendrick, the film has a good cast that includes June Squib (NEBRASKA), Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”), Steve Merchant (“The Office”), and Tony Revolori (GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL). Blitz’s greater experience in TV comedy shows in this film. While the script shows some promise, Blitz’s lackluster, perfunctory direction fails to make much of either the comic or dramatic potential.
At first, it seems like TABLE 19 is going to go for BRIDESMAIDS territory. Kendrick’s character Eloise is torn about going to the wedding, but goes because after all this is her oldest friend’s wedding. To complicate matters, it is a destination wedding on an island, so once guests arrives, they are stuck there until the ferry arrives the next day.
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