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License to Wed Picture 18
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License to Wed Full Production Notes "First came love... then came Reverend Frank."
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 Chapter 3 - The Wedding PartyThe search for the right actor to don Reverend Frank’s collar didn’t take long. Producer Mike Medavoy notes, “When I read the script, I just knew that Robin Williams would be ideal for the role. In addition to being an incredibly funny actor and comedian, he’s such a passionate and compassionate person. While Reverend Frank puts Ben and Sadie through some really trying situations, at the core, likeability was a key component for building the character.”
Academy Award-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams says he gravitated towards the project “for the characters, mostly, and the idea that Reverend Frank is genuinely trying to help people. He creates simulated exercises and scenarios that a young couple might not even think about or have to deal with until they’re already married, when it’s too late. But if a couple doesn’t drop out and actually graduates his class, they’ll be one step closer to living happily ever after.”
Kwapis remarks, “Robin Williams was the perfect choice to create an irreverent Reverend. His ad-lib abilities, of course, are the stuff of legend. He can riff on anything in his path, which, more often than not, was me. You wouldn’t believe the number of ways you can mangle the name Kwapis. There is a method to Reverend Frank’s madness. No matter how perverse his tactics, his goal remains noble: keeping couples together.”
The bride-to-be character in the film, Sadie Jones, has long dreamed of getting married at St. Augustine’s and will let nothing get in the way of fulfilling that dream. It’s where her parents tied the knot, and where she was christened by Reverend Frank— both very compelling reasons any groom would be reluctant to challenge.
Kwapis offers, “For the role of Sadie, I wanted someone who is adorable but strong. Sadie is the girl that guys would do anything for, including something as crazy as Reverend Frank’s patented marriage prep course. Mandy Moore could not be more winning in this part, and it gave a chance to show off her comedic skills. Mandy is daffy and real; she is Everywoman, but the funny version.”
“The thing that really struck me about this script, and what made me want to be a part of this film so badly, was that whatever situation these characters found themselves in, it really felt grounded and relatable,” says Moore. “I have yet to find myself in these situations for real—like getting married—but when I do, I’ll certainly be much better prepared!”
On the other side of the marriage equation is Sadie’s fiancé, Ben Murphy. For the role, Kwapis knew exactly who he wanted. “I helped launch ‘The Office’ and knew from the moment I first worked with John Krasinski that he was a rare find, a perfect blend of comic actor and leading man. He was my very top choice for the role of Ben. John has an innate ability to be both funny and grounded. He is both understated and expressive. As fans of ‘The Office’ can attest, John really knows his way around an awkward pause.”
Krasinski states, “I really wanted to do this movie. When I heard that Ken got hired on to direct, it made me even more excited to do it. I am completely and totally indebted to him for bringing me on.”
Osborne attests, “John was always on the top of the list for Ken, and when we screen-tested Mandy and John, we couldn’t have agreed more. We saw real chemistry between the two. We could see them as a couple struggling through the course together...for better or for worse.”
Being paired with Moore onscreen for the first time, Krasinski notes, “I was very excited to work with Mandy. She’s so sweet, and she brought such incredible warmth to the set.”
Moore offers, “I’ve had a blast with John. We have a really good rapport. He’s so talented and such a sweetheart; it’s been such a treat to work with him.”
In the film, Ben bravely proposes to Sadie in front of the entire Jones family at her parents’ 30th wedding anniversary. Sadie accepts, but there’s a hitch to getting hitched as the jubilant moment quickly spirals towards a pragmatic discussion about where to have the wedding.
“Ben just wants a simple, casual wedding somewhere exotic, like the Caribbean, not knowing that marrying Sadie comes with a stipulation,” says Krasinski. “Sadie has dreamt of getting married at St. Augustine’s all her life because she wants to keep the family tradition, so she’s very determined to make it happen and is sticking to it,” states Moore.
To arrange a date at the church, Sadie introduces Ben to Reverend Frank, who informs them that, as luck would have it, St. Augustine’s is booked solid for the next two years. However, there has just been a cancellation, which opens up a slot in three weeks. Sadie excitedly agrees to the abrupt wedding date, at which point the Reverend tells them he won’t marry the couple unless they pass his mandatory prep course.
When it came to designing and shooting the prep course scenes, “imagine marriage as a theme park, with thrill rides representing the various trials and tribulations a couple undergoes. That’s how I conceived of the marriage prep course in the film. I wanted the audience to experience an emotional roller- coaster ride—thirty years of marriage crammed into three weeks,” Kwapis says.
“Sadie’s the type that welcomes this kind of a challenge. To her, it’s just one more thing that will bring her and Ben closer, and more in love,” says Moore. Ben, on the other hand, can’t help but feel a little uneasy, especially when Reverend Frank introduces two very important rules they must follow: Rule Number One, they must each write their own wedding vows, which are only to be revealed at the wedding ceremony; Rule Number Two, effective immediately, they are to have no sex until the honeymoon.
“Rule Number Two is, without a doubt, one of the hardest rules to follow for a modern couple, and that’s the beauty of the prep course,” states Williams. “I especially like the idea of putting a young couple’s relationship to the test that way. Let’s just take that tool out of your toolbox and see what you have left.”
“In the beginning of a typical relationship, the sex is everywhere, but after about 15 or 20 years, it’s another story,” Williams jokes, continuing, “Reverend Frank owes the high success rate of his class to his commitment to helping couples discover what it is in their relationship that will give it the staying power it needs to last through the years.”
Before Ben even realizes he’s being tested, Reverend Frank not-so-subtly grills him with piercing personal questions. Krasinski notes, “One of the tests Ben goes through with Reverend Frank is playing catch. What Ben thinks is a casual conversation turns into 20 questions of a very personal nature: how long Sadie and Ben have been dating, whether they sleep together, and things like that. I think Reverend Frank does identify Ben as somebody who is worthy of Sadie, but just wants Ben to prove it, not only to Sadie but also to Ben himself. He wants Ben to really understand why he wants to get married and to look at the relationship past the starry-eyed perspective.”
Another exercise from Reverend Frank’s class involves the care and feeding of eerily lifelike, but decidedly creepy-looking, animatronic babies. Drawing inspiration from real-life experiences, Kim Barker recalls a high school assignment designed to teach students the responsibilities of being a parent. “I remember, in one of my classes, we had to carry around eggs for a week, 24 hours a day, as if they were real babies. We had to take care of them; you couldn’t just leave them in your locker. From that idea, we created a stress test in which Ben and Sadie would be responsible for something 24/7. Initially, the idea was to use simple devices like baby pagers and, eventually, the idea evolved into the twin robotic babies."
Next Page: Precisely Coordinated and Rehearsed |
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Destination Caribbean 