Today’s quick review: Betting on the Bride. Melanie Banning (Karissa Lee Staples), a personal trainer and nutritionist, has just broken off her third engagement, swearing to never think about marriage again. Meanwhile, Damon Hadley (Peter Mooney), an ad executive who refuses to settle down, bets that he can get a woman to marry him in just one month. When Damon picks Melanie as his target, it leads to a relationship neither one of them expected.
Betting on the Bride is a romantic comedy about a couple with commitment issues. What starts off as a shallow bet blossoms into a genuine relationship as Melanie and Damon discover that they really are right for one another. Betting on the Bride is a by-the-numbers romance that tries to spin a story out of its main characters’ reluctance to tie the knot. Unfortunately, weak characters and a mediocre script make the movie a shaky pick.
Betting on the Bride’s main shortcoming is that it never takes any risks. Melanie and Damon are tame characters with safe flaws and personalities that are only half-developed. The story goes through the motions of bringing them together and having them fall in love, but they have no real connection, just some light banter and a handful of quasi-dates. The result is an underwhelming story that has very little to catch the audience’s interest.
For dedicated fans of the romcom genre, Betting on the Bride may put in just enough work to be an enjoyable watch. It is a cautious and unexceptional execution of the formula, but it does go through all the steps it needs to tell its story. But the majority of viewers will find that there just isn’t enough there, with characters that are hard to connect with and a plot that retreads old ground. Consider looking elsewhere.
For a romantic comedy with a similar premise, try How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. For a more satisfying romantic comedy about a womanizer settling down, try Hitch, The Ugly Truth, or What Women Want.
[5.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7429362/). I give it a 5.0 for a bland romance with lukewarm execution.