Table 19 is a so-so romantic comedy that practically screams CHICK FLICK from the get-go. We haven’t had one of those in a while, so for anyone craving the genre, it’s worth taking a seat at the Table. The film has some genuinely funny and poignant moments and is extremely relatable for anyone who’s ever been seated with a random group of strangers at a wedding reception. It’s a bit like The Breakfast Club – wedding edition. The plot centers around ex-Maid of Honor Eloise McGarry (Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect, Up In the Air) whose boyfriend, the bride’s brother, recently dumped her via text message. After a raging internal debate, Eloise decides to attend the wedding as originally planned and is exiled to Table 19, along with five other misfits who fall into the category of obligatory invitees who “should have known to just send regrets – but not before sending something nice off the registry.”

Also seated at Table 19: the bride’s straight-talking childhood nanny Jo (June Squibb, Nebraska); a snarky couple, Jerry and Bina Kepp (Craig Robinson, Lisa Kudrow) whose 20-year marriage appears to be on the rocks; an awkward, hormonal teenage boy, Renzo (Tony Revolori), who is hoping to score a wedding hook-up; and a spacey, ex-con cousin Walter (Stephen Merchant) who lives in a half-way house. At first, the table-mates don’t have much to say to one another.

(From L-R): Lisa Kudrow as “Bina,” Craig Robinson as “Jerry,” June Squibb as “Jo,” Stephen Merchant as “Walter,” Anna Kendrick as “Eloise,” and Tony Revolori as “Renzo” in TABLE 19. Photo by Jace Downs. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
But as the band plays, drunken toasts are made, and the hours wear on, the quirky guests at Table 19 gradually reveal their personal agendas for attending the nuptials and end up forming an unlikely alliance.

Table 19 is far from an instant wedding comedy classic, but hey, at least it’s lighter than Fifty Shades Darker, and certainly a better choice for date night. No need to rush out and see it, unless you’re a big Anna Kendrick fan (she’s typically endearing in this one). You can probably catch it in a few months as a rental or airplane movie option. It’s 87 minutes of harmless entertainment.

Arty Chick’s take: I thought it was one of the worst chick flicks I’ve seen. Not really a romance. Cliched characters. Boring story. Not funny or sad. And Table 19 ‘s worst sin of all is taking a talented cast and giving them such a horrid script to work with. I am an Anna Kendrick fan, and she’s always good in at being a quirky little puppy. But Lisa Kudrow can be so funny and she isn’t given anything to do in this film except be a downer. Harmless fun, you say? I was harmed just having to watch. Don’t waste your time or money.

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