I needed a break from all of the crappy horror movies I was watching, so I decided to go in the rom-com direction. Sitting on HBO Max was ensemble this film from 2019 about a group of randoms forced to sit together at a wedding reception’s worst table.

The center of the movie is Eloise (Anna Kendrick), who is one of the bride’s best friends and was, up until a few weeks prior, in a serious relationship with the bride’s brother Teddy (Wyatt Russell). Teddy–the best man–dumped her over text and Eloise was replaced as maid of honor by Nikki (Amanda Crew) who’s now with Teddy. With losing the maid of honor title comes a demotion all the way to the titular Table 19, literally the “randoms” table.

Making up the rest of the randoms are diner owners Jerry and Bina Kepp (Craig Robinson and Lisa Kudrow), whose marriage is slowly dying; Renzo (Tony Revolori), a hapless teenager who is constantly badgered by his mother (Margo Martindale in a voice-only role); Walter (Stephen Merchant), a cousin who was obviously invited out of obligation because the bride’s father hates him; and Jo (June Squibb), the bride’s former nanny. Without giving away too much of the plot, each of them is a mess, has some secret they’re protecting, and over the course of the movie, their status as part of “The Island of Misfit Wedding Guests” leads to friendships.

It’s, I guess, what you might call a generic romantic comedy. In fact, when I looked it up on IMDb, I hadn’t realized it was already seven years old. Make it a few decades earlier and it would have fit right in with whatever “Julia Roberts and a Wedding” movie was out at the time. But that’s not a dig because I find movies like this to be cinematic comfort food. I’m not there for prestige or great insights or some creator’s philosophical statement; I want to enjoy myself. The only problem is that with the wrong group of actors, a movie like this is not only generic, it’s forgettable.

Thankfully, that’s not the case. It’s well cast. Kudrow and Robinson do a great job as a tired married couple who snark and bicker at one another but are great at having that build over the course of the movie instead of instantly being the “fighting couple.” Revolori (who played Flash Thompson in the MCU Spider-Man movies) is inept but not a sad sack. His mother is overbearing but keeps pushing him to meet a girl, to an inappropriate degree (and Margo Martindale’s delivery over his cell phone is hilarious). Merchant does the “weird, off-putting guy” thing in a way that’s uncomfortable and a little cringe but not creepy and winds up being likable. Even Wyatt Russell, who’s kind of an erstasz Owen Wilson, gives a great performance and takes Teddy from being kind of an asshole to a guy you like.

The standouts for me are Squibb and Kendrick. Squibb’s got the “wise old lady” role and Kendrick has the “cute girl who’s a mess” role (which is most of the roles I’ve seen Kendrick play). They have a great chemistry together, which helps when they figure out each other’s circumstances. What saves Squibb from being Yoda is that she’s been discarded and forgotten by the bride and is bitter about it, especially when it comes to Teddy (whom she describes as selfish and a terrible brat). Kendrick is a mess, but a charming mess, which makes her character bearable and not some sort of “Calamity Jane” sad sack.

When the “drama” of the movie really kicks in (i.e., that third act where comedies often forget they are comedies because the plot gets in teh way), you’ve liked the characters and invested enough for it to work (especially in Kudrow and Robinson, whose moment of drama could have been very over the top but the actors make seem more real). And the ending, which includes a typical “big romantic rom-com gesture” is well-earned, especially since earlier in the film, you’re led to believe that Kendrick’s romance was going to go in a completely different direction.

Like I said, it’s comfort cinema and fun to watch. It’s leaving HBO Max soon, but it’s streaming via subscription or rental in a number of other places.

Watch or Skip?

Watch