We’ve all experienced peak moments in our lives, moments when we find ourselves in a place we never thought we’d be and suddenly it seems as though the sky’s the limit…And then real life intervenes, looks shabby and disappointing in comparison, and we’re left looking back on that one perfect experience with a combination of nostalgia and regret. The characters in Wedding Weekend are no different.
David (David Harbour) serves as the film’s narrator, and the movie begins with a flashback to his peak moment: performing with his best friends at their senior concert. At that moment, it seemed as though each and every one of them was ready to take on the world, but life after graduation didn’t quite measure up to their expectations. Fifteen years later, their lives are marked by varying degrees of mediocrity: mundane jobs, floundering marriages, and the most terrifying evil of all – domesticity. It’s not so much that their circumstances are bad…they just beg the question, “I settled for this?!!
When the singers reunite for The Wedding Weekend in the Hamptons, they find themselves reevaluating their lives and their priorities. Of course, this is set against a backdrop of drinking, impromptu rehearsals, skinny-dipping, and typical college-buddy shenanigans, but at the heart of the movie lies some serious soul-searching.
Each character faces the question in a different way, but the overwhelming realization is that they are all grateful for what they have. There is an especially poignant moment at the end of the film (another “peak moment”, in fact) where the whole film comes full circle. It reminds us that the most valuable things in life are love and friendship, and that standing in their light is far more rewarding than any career accomplishment or material gain could ever be. Though the movie is reminiscent of films like The Big Chill and Indian Summer, its wit and heart allow it to hold its own.
