[MOVIE PREVIEW]Predictable 'Wedding Planner'

Sometimes, when we tire of our daily routine, we day dream of something or someone coming to our rescue, even though we know that in the real world the odds of that happening are not on our side. So, we resort to romantic movies, such as "The Wedding Planner." This film, scheduled for a release on Saturday, is the perfect escape from daily life although the dream lasts only 103 minutes.

The great thing about this kind of film is you do not have to become too cerebral. You just sit there, arms folded, soaking up the predictability and expecting the happy ending. The plot poses no challenge; arrive late and there is no difficulty catching up on what is going on. You already know that there have to be a number of highly unlikely coincidences to make the love story work.

Jennifer Lopez, whose specialty is hot salsa dancing, does a satisfying job in playing Mary Fiore, an adept and prosperous bridal manager. Though Mary does an excellent job at arranging other people's weddings, she has no matrimonial prospects of her own.

One night, she bumps into a guy named Steve (Matthew McConaughey) who saves her from being run over by a truck. Steve is a well-to-do pediatrician, a kind gentleman and good looking. He and this beautiful woman fall in love at first sight. But, sadly for Mary, she finds out a few days later that Steve is engaged to a rich and attractive entrepreneur, Fran.

Busy Fran puts Steve and Mary in charge of preparing for the wedding, and what happens next is completely expected. Mary is following her father's advice, going against her truest feelings and marrying a man she does not love, because it's the practical thing to do.

But, the director and script writers do not go against the rule of romance movies: Mary, Steve and Fran together acknowledge at the last moment that something is really wrong with their wedding and cancel everything. Steve and Mary have that long-awaited smooch under the moonlit sky.

Though the movie tries to cover up a proliferation of the expected with humor, the effort only makes the strained attempt to entertain with the obvious more embarrassing.

If nothing else, this film teaches a soon-to-be bride some important lessons － never let an attractive woman plan your wedding and never leave your groom-to-be and the wedding planner alone.

by Chun Su-jin