Barnes & Noble

A potentially dicey premise, expertly handled by director Clare Kilner, becomes the basis of a charming romantic comedy buoyed by the skillful trouping of sitcom star Debra Messing and underrated leading man Dermot Mulroney. Messing plays Kat Ellis, a successful career woman who still pines for her ex-fiancé, Jeff (Jeremy Sheffield), and remains distinctly unattached. Her sister, Amy (Amy Adams), is about to marry Jeff's best friend, so Kat does something desperate to avoid looking lonely and pathetic: she hires male escort Nick Mercer (Mulroney) to accompany her to the wedding. She's hoping that being seen with a handsome, sophisticated gent will make Jeff jealous -- but she doesn't count on developing strong feelings for the hired hand. A little suspension of disbelief is required here; it's difficult to believe that a smart, attractive, vivacious woman like Cat wouldn't be able to scrounge up a wedding date without resorting to a paid escort. And it's equally difficult to believe that the erudite, wise-beyond-his-years Nick would so readily fall for one of his clients. Once you get past those points, however, you'll find a lot to like about this breezy romp. The dialogue is tart, the pace brisk, and the performances deft. Messing and Mulroney make a great team, and Kilner's direction cleverly exploits every comedic opportunity the script offers. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

A gal who needs a date for a family function gets the best man money can buy in this romantic comedy. Kat Ellis (Debra Messing) is a woman in her mid-thirties living in New York City and has had more than her share of romantic problems -- enough so that she's gotten word that her younger half-sister Amy (Amy Adams) is getting married, and that her mother Bunny (Holland Taylor) and father Victor (Peter Egan) want to fix her up with someone so she won't look alone and miserable for the big day. Adding insult to injury, Kat learns that the best man at the ceremony will be Jeffrey (Jeremy Sheffield), a former boyfriend who cruelly dumped her without warning two years before. Determined not to show up alone, Kat swallows her pride and hires Nick Mercer (Dermot Mulroney), a professional escort, who will pose as her boyfriend for a $6,000 fee. Kat and Nick fly to England for the wedding, and her family and friends are all struck by how charming, handsome, and personable Nick is -- and Kat begins wondering if their relationship has to be all business; however, as it turns out, Nick understands Kat far better than she expects. The Wedding Date was based on the novel Asking for Trouble by British author Elizabeth Young. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 025192055188
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed, Special Packaging
• Time: 1:28:00
• Sales Rank: 65,914

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Wedding Date / Prime / Wimbledon
• Romantic Comedy Pack Quadruple Feature (4pc)