Til Death Do Us Part, 2023.
Directed by Timothy Woodward Jr.
Starring Cam Gigandet, Jason Patric, Natalie Burn, Orlando Jones, Ser’Darius Blain, Pancho Moler, Neb Chupin, D.Y. Sao, Alan Silva, Nicole Arlyn, Mike Starr, and Anais Lilit.
SYNOPSIS:
After bailing on her wedding, a former bride-to-be must fight off her ex-groom and seven angry killer groomsmen in order to survive the night.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Til Death Do Us Part wouldn’t exist.
For roughly 45 minutes, Timothy Woodward Jr.’s Til Death Do Us Part is frustratingly vague, jumping between two different points in time while telling what is otherwise a fairly straightforward story about a runaway bride (Natalie Burn) under attack in a family cabin, trying to survive the night against her groom’s best man (Cam Gigandet) and six other groomsmen, most of whom are attempting to display a demented sense of humor in place of intimidation. What the screenplay from Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor is trying to pass for comedy, however, is endlessly embarrassing at times at edginess that bomb. Meanwhile, the action rotates between forgettable and serviceable.
None of these characters are given any names, but it is clear that the groom is ordering this hunt (Ser’Darius Blain), following some falling out between him and his bride. There are also flashbacks to a happier time on vacation where the couple encounters an older pair admiring the spark in their relationship, particularly the husband (Jason Patric). These scenes are meant to contrast the fight for survival, making us question where and how everything went wrong.
The major issue with Til Death Do Us Part isn’t just that it takes forever to provide a semblance of what is actually happening, but that the journey there is severely crippled by characters slowly walking around talking about nothing and making jokes that no one thinks are funny aside from the screenwriters, while a bombardment of licensed music blares over a record player. Unless being moderately confused by the film’s structure counts, there isn’t a single interesting moment here for about 30 minutes, and even then, despite a committed performance from Natalie Burn (she gets a couple of gnarly kills while trying her damnedest to bring some excitement to the proceedings), the fight choreography leaves much to be desired.
It is the comedy, however, that is truly insufferable. One of the groomsmen is a dwarf (Pancho Moler), apparently because the filmmakers are under the impression they can do something funny with that. All he does is shout obscenities at the bride. That’s the kind of lazy screenplay the actors are working with here, although it would be disingenuous to imply that the actors here are solid by any stretch of the imagination. The filmmakers want this perilous situation to be as wacky as it is dangerous but flounder and fail, trying to elicit that adrenaline.
Admittedly, once it is somewhat revealed who these characters are, who they are working for, and how the other couple fits into the narrative, the film becomes mildly engaging although there’s always a sensation that Timothy Woodward Jr. is in over his head. It’s easy to admire what Til Death Do Us Part is building to (and the final fight slightly delivers on that front, finally successfully blending the tones together), but the road there is a slog. Life is too short, so part with this one early by never attempting to watch it.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
Originally published August 1, 2023. Updated August 2, 2023.
