I’ve heard this film described as a romantic comedy, which is strange, because the central relationship is between a young business exec and her estranged father. At the same time, the inciting incident is the exec (played by Kristen Bell) getting left at the altar by a fiancé who realizes he’s playing second-fiddle to her job. And the rest of the movie has the familiar arc of the protagonist meeting someone else with whom they grow close throughout the duration of the film and who helps them reevaluate life. It’s predictable. It’s trite. And yes, structurally it plays out much like a typical rom-com.
But the most standout feature of this film is that the story is almost less important than highlighting all the great fun that can be had on a Royal Caribbean cruise. That they manage to make it reasonably believable that the protagonist ends up on the cruise with her estranged father (played by Kelsey Grammer) is a show of competence you might not expect for a movie-length commercial.
And the film is competent, at least to the point of passability. It’s not groundbreaking or powerful. But it’s got a functional story arc and some baseline likeable characters. The film’s alright. Which, given its better-than-alright cast, is maybe a failure.
Content warning: lots of alcohol, implied sex
Plot: 4
Characters: 5
Themes: 4
Spectacle: 6
Overall score: A free cruise for two from the Bahama Cruise Vacation Getaway!
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