Sure the plot and script might have been a tad predictable, but, it was an unexpected charmer. A wonderful cast and fun script with many chuckles. It is NOT Separate Tables but it certainly was worthwhile viewing a nice little light comedy that is perfect on a summers night. Table 19 contained the misfits of a wedding but eventually had the most fun and impact on their wedding they were the last to be invited at.
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bigkingtut20004 June 2017
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crimewriter3420 May 2017and somewhat intelligent romcon. I don't know why it didn't get any love from critics, especially with the young and veteran talents of Anna Kendrick and Lisa Kudrow . Solid seven. . . .For peeps who want a dramedy as opposed to a laugh riot. "Wedding Crashers," it ain't.
Word of caution: It's a little rocky through the first twenty minutes, but the last three quarters of the film make that set up well worthwhile. Since it's an ensemble piece, there's some scenes well spent sketching all the characters seated in the no-man's land of table 19. But this investment will pay off sweetly in the end. -
So I loved this movie! It's a brilliant single setting-ish script about various "reject" guests at a wedding table with Anna Kendrick in the lead. It's like "The Breakfast Club" of wedding movies.
The script is witty, intelligent and the attention to detail for the set, specifically with the wedding band and their selection of songs, was sublime. Bravo to the Duplass brothers on pulling together a very well-made and well-thought out film.
Lisa Kudrow shows she still has great talent and her deadpan comedy is still funny. And the pairing of Kudrow with Craig Robinson as her husband was genius, they actually pair off of each other really great.
Anna Kendrick's character Elsie dreads going to her former best friend/former boyfriend's sister's wedding. She meets the other rejects at the table and explains the pecking order of the wedding tables. Elsie meets a dashing stranger Huck, confronts the former boyfriend/bride's brother, and the Table 19 guests have quite the day with unexpected twists.
Highly recommend. -
Trailers are notorious in over-promising for movies that under-deliver. But every now and then, one pops up that does the opposite. The trailer for Table 19 (2017) gives the impression of a lightweight romantic comedy with a touch of slapstick, all framed around a wedding. Despite being critically panned by many, there is more to this unexpectedly entertaining low-profile film than meets the eye.
The heroine is Eloise (Anna Kendrick) who, against her better judgement, accepts a wedding invitation knowing she is persona non-grata with the bridal party. She was recently dumped by the bride's brother, who is now the best man, and she is suddenly no longer the bride's best friend. She was the chief helper with the reception planning and knows who is at every table and why they are here. Her companions on Table 19 comprise a lovable granny-type, two oddballs, and a quarrelling married couple. They were all expected to decline their invitation but still send a gift, and that alone is a recipe for humour and satire. Their distance from the bridal table and proximity to the toilets quickly establishes their lowly social status and the comic sketches play on social awkwardness. The thread of continuity is through Eloise and her manhunts. The standard sit-com one-liners and the obligatory near-catastrophe with a wedding cake are neither original nor particularly funny, but the situation develops a warm emotional undercurrent that is unexpectedly touching.
One of the interesting things about this film is the difference between its plot and story. The plot is standard wedding reception comedy which laughs at the marginalisation of unwanted guests. On the other hand, the story explores why the Table 19'ers are together. It offers insight into their lives, their personalities, and the emotional hurt caused by being placed on the social fringe. The best part of the film is when the offended "randoms" leave the reception for a while to console each other. Through flashbacks we get the back-story to their invitations which range from pathetic to comic. For example, the granny-type really believed she was invited because the bride fondly remembered her first baby-sitter, but the bride barely knows who she is. There is also a wannabe trying to lose his virginity, a weird guy straight out of prison, and a couple who are far from an inspiring example of a loving marriage.
Anna Kendrick plays the perfect balance between awkward, aggrieved, and aggressive, and the randoms are standard comic stereotypes. But while our eyes are on Elosie, the warmth of the story come from her table companions. The gags are at snicker level rather than belly laughs and the cinematography is colourful and cluttered as wedding receptions often are. There is no shortage of embarrassing moments as Eloise stalks her men, both old and new, and the final scenes rise through melodrama to operatic farce. But this film offers a fresh take on standard rom-com themes in amusing and entertaining ways . and it might make you think twice if you need to create a seating plan. -
SnoopyStyle6 October 2017It's Francie Millner's wedding. Her oldest friend Eloise McGarry (Anna Kendrick) reluctantly accepts the invitation and is relegated to sit with the unwanted randoms at Table 19. Her ex Teddy is Francie's brother and the best man. She is joined by diner owning couple Bina Kepp (Lisa Kudrow) and Jerry Kepp (Craig Robinson). There are also the released prisoner Walter Thimble (Stephen Merchant), awkward mama's boy Renzo Eckberg, and long ago nanny Jo Flanagan (June Squibb).
This starts off as a light quirky comedy. It takes a couple of dark turns and ends up with an awkward mix of light and dark tones. The group, filled with great comedic talents, grew on me and I find myself wanting to sit at the bad table. It's mostly due to June Squibb and her sincerely touching nanny Jo. There is one twist that does upend much of my expectations. Huck needs a higher caliber actor to give the movie a better misdirection. Despite the little problems, I really fall for this group. -
tsimshotsui4 June 2017the film with that cast - Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson, Toni Revolori being some of my favorites - could really have been fun and truly enjoyable. But a good cast doesn't make a good script. I wonder how tailored each role is for the cast, I'm guessing apart from Anna's role not so much? Not sold on the bulk of the film / the main pairing much so that was particularly not enjoyable for me. However, June Squibb was lovely and Stephen Merchant was a welcome oddball (though the humor overall of the film doesn't really land). Conclusions for other story lines were not really satisfying and there was cheesiness all through out.
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"Table 19" brings the (mis)adventures of Eloise. As the movie opens, Eloise is hesitating whether to "accept with pleasure" or to "decline with regret" a wedding invitation she just received. In the end she decides to go. She hesitated because she was just dumped, via text no less we later learn, by her boyfriend Teddy, whose sister is getting hitched. Along the way, Eloise is also relegated from sitting at Table 1 (with the bride and groom) to Table 19, a table in the back corner. At Table 19, there are 5 other people, including the bride's nanny, a bickering wedded couple, and a guy who is in a halfway house for stealing. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this movie was originally scheduled to be directed by Mark and Jay Duplass, who co-wrote the script. It ended up being directed by Jeffrey Blitz (best known for directing "The Office" TV series. The Duplass involvement gave me confidence to hope that this would be a worthwhile, if not quite straight up (that's how the Duplass brothers operate), comedy with a romantic undertone. Boy, was I wrong. The movie centers on the ensemble cast that make up Table 19, but unfortunately, at no point did I felt emotionally connected or invested in these characters. Worse yet, the movie is simply not funny. I didn't laugh a single time the entire movie, so for a movie that is billed as a comedy, that is a problem. In fact, about half-way through the movie, when the action finally steers away from the wedding dinner/reception, we get to understand some of the background of the ensemble cast, and the movie takes a turn toward sadness. Check out the bickering wedded couple, played by Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson: you just feel sorry for them. Anna Kendrick, who plays Eloise, can do no wrong in my book, but even she cannot save the movie, After yet another mishap, she retreats to the bathroom to freshen up, and as she looks at herself in the mirror, she tries to pep herself up and says "this day will not suck!", but you know that it will... Same thing at that point as far as the movie goes, as you want to yell at the screen "this movie will not suck!", but by then you deep down already know this is a lost cause. Thankfully the movie clears away some of the sad undercurrents, so that in the end we end up with something that is bittersweet, but I'll leave it to you to decide whether it's more bitter or more sweet. In the end, I felt hugely disappointed with this film, considering the involvement of the Duplass brothers and Anna Kendrick.
"Table 19" opened this weekend on a handful of screens for all of Greater Cincinnati. The Sunday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly. Six people in the theater, including myself. Given the dismal reviews this movie is getting, I can't see this playing very long in the theaters. If you are a fan of Anna Kendrick or even Lisa Kudrow, you want want to check this out on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, but keep your expectations low... -
joel-glassman12 July 2018This is a pleasant, enjoyable movie that will appeal to everyone- especially those who are on the outskirts of life and do not quite fit in. Anna Kendrick is one of six characters who have been invited to a wedding. Each of the characters does not quite fit the mold of someone you would really enjoy hanging out with so they are seated at a table far away from the bride and groom. Kendrick is the ex-girlfriend of the bride's brother and she still pines for him. The others are a group of quirky characters. Those at Table 19 slowly begin to learn about each other and work together to help Kendrick and each other through a series of mishaps. This leads to a number of scenes that will have you chuckling throughout the movie.
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kennyamac29 May 2017The movie's poster showed a decent cast... so I thought it was going to be some kind of slapstick Ben Stiller like movie, unfortunately it turned out instead to be a horrible attempt at recreating the breakfast club, and other 80s movies where a bunch of rejects end up finding happiness or something...
The thing is 45 minutes into this movie and I still didn't care about the people sitting at table 19. And even though I didn't care what happened to these obnoxious people, the movie still carried on like the viewers will give a damn about this bunch of unlikable, unlikely people...
This is just one big nothing of a movie... if the main characters have zero charm or charisma, how does the director expect people to care about the stories they have to tell?
So anyway, if you are looking for a coming of age movie, try the breakfast club, but do yourself a favor and give this movie a wide berth... -
khace20 June 2017I decided to watch 'Table 19' because I had already seen all of the major blockbuster movies and it looked like a harmless, little piece of fluff. Once the movie started and the guests were seated, the movie really felt like a wedding reception and it became more interesting. The story seemed like it was going to use the same old wedding-story plot, but they threw in quite a few unexpected twists. I really enjoyed the movie more than I thought I would. It was a nice little surprise.
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Eloise (Anna Kendrick) has been jilted by her boyfriend, Teddy (Wyatt Russell). Unfortunately, Ted's sister is getting married soon and the bride is Eloise's good friend.. So, although it hurts like Hades, El decides to attend the event solo. When the reception begins, Eloise finds she has been stuck at Table 19, the one farthest away from the married couple, filled with misfits. There's the Kepps (Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson), who run a diner and don't really know why they were invited. Also, there's Renzo (Tony Revolori) who, as an almost-an-adult teen has hormones raging and aspires to meet a girl with the same. The rest of the table is a tall, tall cousin (Stephen Merchant) and the former nanny of the bride. As can be expected, Teddy is upset that Eloise is there and says so. But, wait, a handsome man seems to appear out of nowhere, and asks Eloise to dance. Also, the rest of Table 19 start to bond over their "reject" status. Will Eloise find a new love interest or is she still hung up on Teddy? The very mediocre film has a great cast. Kendrick, Kudrow, Robinson, Merchant, Russell, Revolori and all the others try as hard as they can to bring the story to life. Ultimately, the result is one flat movie with occasional laughs. The setting on an island in the Northwest is nice and costumes are fine but the direction is very tepid. Also, while Russell is a cutie, his scruffy appearance is a turn off to some admirers. My only reason for buying a ticket is that, as a romcom fan, I AM STARVED FOR SOMETHING NEW FROM Hollywood. So, if that's you as well, you might want to give it a whirl. Otherwise, book a showing of some far better film from your own television table.
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evrivali28 May 2017At first I wasn't looking forward to watch Table 19.I assume that you already know the plot if you are reading user's reviews but you are not sure if you should watch the movie or not so , I am just going to tell you not be afraid of the poor rating and just watch the movie.Full of funny and dramatic moments and unexpected twists that reveal slowly the character's background I believe that Table 19 is a great movie for both drama and comedy lovers. All the actors give excellent performances and make you feel closer and more attached to the characters. It was just a great film and I really hope that it gets the reputation that it deserves.
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srdjan_veljkovic20 August 2018It's not formulaic, it's actually interesting most of the time and it has a few nice jokes sprinkled around.
The happy-ending is way too cheesy and actually ruins a lot of the movie, as, up to that point, it was mostly realistic. I mean, just one story of how a guy gave his little sister a toy when they were kids doesn't erase the fact that he's a jerk and, among other things, dumped Anna Kendrick over the phone. It's way too little for her to just "click" and chase him to the lake and shout out her eternal love for him across said lake. If they were to actually show Anna Kendrick's baby-poppa jump into water when she called him across the lake, it would have been _terrible_ (as is, it's merely bad). The happy ending for Lisa Kudrow felt much more real, while the happy ending for the Indian boy was also off.
Another problem with the movie is that Anna Kendrick didn't do her job as well as one would expect. She's not nearly as lovably quirky as she can be. She's not pretty or hot, so, what we're left with is not all that interesting or likeable, thus it's hard to participate in her struggles. Quite frankly, you feel more connected to Amanda Crew, who, while being a jerk, is doing a good interpretation of "I'm hotter, yet this jerk choose her, but I'm gonna show her now".
But, with it's several major and some more minor flaws, it's still good-enough, if you take into account other rom-coms. -
cruise0114 July 2017The awkwardness moment of going to a wedding and sitting in a table with other people that may or may not be close to the groom/bride and they chat about how they know them and if they are even being recognized or forgettable type of guests. Table 19 is terrible, it is unfunny, tries to be awkward and shine with the characters but fails to even capture the attention. The film opens with Eloise (Anna Kendrick) hesitating about accepting the invitation to her oldest friend Francine's wedding who her brother Teddy (Wyatt Russell) is now her ex. He dumps her because she always belittled his intelligence. She goes back and forth with the invitation by saying no than yes, even almost setting the card on fire. But she ends up going to the wedding, even after she had helped planned the event and set up seating arrangements. She ends up sitting on table 19 with a bunch of other people she does not know. At the table, there is Jerry (Craig Robinson) and Bina (Lisa Kudrow) who barely knows the groom and bride but are in a struggling marriage. Then, there is Jo (June Squibb), who was the first nanny to the bride but her entire family forgot about who she was. Then, Walter (Stephen Merchant) who seems out of place and awkward with every conversation about himself not adding up. And Renzo (Tony Revolori) was invited to go cause his mother told him he needs to find a girlfriend or get laid to become a man. Eloise is dwelling on her last break up until she meets a wedding crasher Huck (Thomas Cocquerel) who flirts and dances with her but bails out of the wedding before he gets caught. Teddy keeps reminding Eloise that she should go home and not cause a scene.
The film could have worked with its humor and the different awkward characters they introduced. However, none of the humor in the film was funny. It was stupid, it was awkward, and unfunny. The editing with each scene feels like a mash up with its dull humor. Every character had their own conflict and sharing the same table in a wedding that no one seems interested in being there. When every thing tries to resolve itself in the end, it seems forced when characters forget about what their problem really was.
I liked the cast ensemble. Except every ones performance was forgettable from a lackluster script that failed to even develop any of these characters. The plot was pointless, well if you would even count it as a plot which it had none. The direction was dull, terribly edited together in order to try to get laughs. There is nothing positive or funny about this poorly executed comedy movie. Overall, Table 19 is horrible. From its terrible editing of lots awkward moments, unfunny humor, poor characters development, boring script and direction. I would not recommend the film at all unless its on cable TV. -
resj-249298 February 2018* excuse me English isn't my first language *
The music factor in the movie was winning for me.. it was very amazing.. The dancing scene was so lovely; the camera work and the music also the actors effortlessly bonding and dancing summed up the sweetest scene in the movie .
It doesn't have to be perfectly done from all prospectives to enjoy it!
I love the kind of movie that makes you heart warms and makes you smile and its story is very simple and not at all complicated.. doesn't need your brain to be working the whole time to understand it.. it just needs your heart. -
postalinvt16 June 2017OK, I don't write reviews. I will this time because I watched this in spite of some awful reviews because I love Anna Kendrick. "Indy" films are always a gamble and I love the fact that ms Kendrick seems willing to try anything. I am pleased to report that this film is really well written.
Yes you will know these folks, no surprises here, they are your neighbors and relatives; but the actors involved play them like old friends and they play them well; not a missed note in the bunch, not even from Lisa Kudrow who can over act with the best.
Definitely worth your time. -
bwatts-9373317 August 2018I have become extremely picky about what I watch. Most newer movies dissapoint. This one did not. This one to me ranks way up there with Pretty Woman And many more of my favorites. Love love that we did not get to see Teddy swim to shore. Love that we were left guessing.
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hal-23411 July 2017Table 19 is a dreadful movie.
The script is surely the worst thing about it. Some people are stuck at Table 19 (the loser table) at a wedding. We get each of their stories, if you can call an incoherent jumble of clichés a story. One boy of about 13 is trying to laid, with his mother calling him every 10 minutes to give him advice. One couple may or may not be in love, depending on when you went out for popcorn. One woman plays the ridiculous old person, a staple in every bad Hollywood movie. One man is even more ridiculous.
Joining the table is Anna Kendrick, who seems to have two love interests, one of whom just vanishes when his presence becomes inconvenient for the plot. She has recently broken up with the best man, though the explanation for how this happened makes little sense.
Everyone at the table has problems. They all go off and smoke dope, and then suddenly the problems are magically solved. This is basically the plot, minus a bunch of slapstick scenes with the wedding cake.
Aside from Anna Kendrick, none of the characters are the slightest bit interesting, and none of them, including Anna Kendrick, undergoes any sort of personal transformation that leads to the resolution of their problems. The movie is just one sorry gimmick after another. -
marticaida17 January 2018Solid performance from the cast, unexpected twist and unpredicted ending make this movie quite enjoyable. It's no Oscar nominee, but definitely better than the rating it got now.
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omendata26 September 2020Comedy with little to no comedy, dreadfully dull & mismatched characters, zero story and pitiful acting from a bunch of old has beens.
I only gave it an extra star for the excellent cover band music. -
vickibaker-18 July 2017A bit slow and could have used better editing perhaps, but left me feeling really good! Isn't that why we watch this genre? Kudrow almost stole the show, but all players played their roles to the nth degree of subtlety/reality. Very well done. A bit philosophical which added much needed depth. Overall, $5.99 well spent...
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I watched this film on an airplane, so at least I didn't feel like I had wasted an hour and a half of my life. It was poorly written with very few redeeming qualities. While it might not have been the single worst film I have ever seen, the single worst film I have ever seen had more of a plot than Table 19. Halfway through I started wondering when any of the main characters would demonstrate a single redeeming quality. Entirely, it was a stupid film and a waste of time. Don't bother.
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bkrauser-81-31106416 March 2017I've been reviewing films off and on for about five years. And if there is one thing I've learned about criticism is that the vast, unchallenged mean between absolutely great movies and downright terrible ones hides a lot of non-committal fence sitting. I'm guilty of it myself; in today's age of instant self-gratification, it's easy to cobble together a knee-jerk opinion based on someone else's ideas. Problem is those ideas, whether valid or not, sometimes creates a subterfuge of undeserved hype or undeserved vitriol depending on the circumstance. They feed a cycle of wafer-thin subjectivity masquerading as authoritative proof of something's worth. This is why, for example a movie like Equilibrium (2002) can be seen as something more than a splashy Matrix (1999) rip-off while movies like Mystery Team (2009) are swept under the rug.
So it is with Table 19, a movie no one will likely see because the critical consensus is so bad that it's created its own negative feedback loop. Table 19 takes place over the course of several hours of a wedding reception at a rustic hotel lodge. As the happy couple celebrates their new marriage amid friends and family, a small group of strangers sit at the back table, forcing uncomfortable banter and gracelessly ignoring the reason for their position in the back. Among them are the argumentative Kepps (Kudlow and Robinson), the dotty Ms. Jo (Squibb), gawky teen Renzo (Revolori), distant cousin Walter (Merchant) and Eloise (Kendrick) the disgraced ex-Maid of Honor who was dumped by the Best Man (Russell).
To say Table 19 is "ridiculous and a mess," is a bit of an understatement. As critics rightly point out, the pacing is stop and go, the editing is slapdash and the high-concept simply doesn't have the wherewithal to make it through a feature-length movie. Once the initial awkward niceties are flushed under the force of the first big narrative reveal, the film descends into a checklist of soapy plot-points and lazy character short hands. Much like 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (a similarly imperfect ensemble farce), Table 19 klutzily mixes its farcical elements with broad, sweeping story setups and has them slosh about until the runtime wears out. On top of it all, the tone shifts wildly depending on who you're following at the time.
Thing is, I actually liked 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag, and I liked Table 19 too for much the same reason. The characters, as broad as they may be at times never ceased to entertain; Stephen Merchant's portrayal as a familial pariah Franken-walking through the banquet hall is worth the admission price alone. As are Renzo's far too honest conversations with his mother (Martindale in a superb unseen role) which mostly consist of him rolling his eyes while she pushes him to "get laid already." Behind the Kepps' increasingly hostile quibbling and Grandma Jo's insistence that she'll be remembered (just you wait), lays a unified feeling of melancholy.
That feeling of melancholy along with some solid comedic setups and payoffs permeate through the film's cosmetic faults. Every time you're distracted by an awkward cut or taken aback by some of the more hammy moments, the film quickly lulls you back with its quixotic charm.
Helping to dry up this mess and put it back into a nice looking bucket is the relentless Anna Kendrick who by now has turned the neurotic jilted girl archetype into a symbol of quasi-empowerment. While she wins no brownie points for that here, there's something near noble about the way she throws herself into the fray. She easily elevates an already stellar cast and sells the hell out of the movies main conceit.
Much like the twangy banjo version of Pachabel's Canon in D that plays over the film's title sequence, Table 19 is a unique version of a very old cultural tradition. It's certainly not the best version of what it could be but with more than a handful of charming performances, this delightful little farce deserves a little better than the wedding inspired japes it's been getting from critics. Perhaps it's a case of ugly duckling syndrome on my part, but I'm going to go ahead and say "I Do" to this one. -
ferguson-62 March 2017Greetings again from the darkness. Writer/director Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound) takes the approach that many wedding guests would prefer – he skips the wedding and heads straight to the reception. Another wise move by the filmmaker is assembling a very talented ensemble of funny folks. This cast proves they can wring a laugh from dialogue and moments that would probably otherwise not elicit much of an audience reaction. Instead, the full house on this evening had quite boisterous responses on numerous occasions.
The initial set-up drags a bit as we are introduced to the characters that will soon enough populate Table 19 at the reception. Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel bellhop) is Renzo, the longing for love (or anything similar) high schooler who might be a bit too close to his mother (voiced by the great Margo Martindale). Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson are the Kepp's, a mostly unhappily married couple who own and run a diner together. June Squibb is Jo, the bride's long-forgotten nanny who sees and knows more than most. Stephen Merchant plays the outcast nephew/cousin who has been recently released from his prison sentence for white collar crime. Lastly we have Anna Kendrick as Eloise, the fired maid of honor and former girlfriend of the bride's brother (Wyatt Russell), who also happens to be the best man and now dating the new maid of honor.
This is the island of misfit wedding guests known as Table 19, and purposefully placed in the back corner as far as possible from the family and favored guests. Of course we know immediately that this Team Reject will unite for some uplifting purpose at some point, and the movie improves immediately once that goal has been revealed. Comedic timing in a group setting can often come across on screen as forced, and it's a tribute to the cast that these characters come across as human and real.
Make no mistake though, this is Anna Kendrick's movie. She plays Eloise as we would imagine Anna Kendrick in this real life situation. Sure, a wedding reception is low-hanging fruit for comedy, but it's the third act where Ms. Kendrick's talent really shines. Comedy drawn from emotional pain is the most fulfilling because we've all been there. The melodrama that creeps in is pretty predictable, but that doesn't mean it's not a good time. The scenes with Ms. Kendrick and Wyatt Russell (Everybody Wants Some!, and Kurt and Goldie's son) are the best, and it leaves us wishing for more attention to both.
Don't worry, the film features the required wedding cake mishap, a flirtatious wedding crasher (Thomas Cocquerel) and a drunken mother of the bride singing karaoke to Etta James' "At Last". It's designed to be a crowd-pleaser, and mostly succeeds with a nice blend of silly, cute, and emotional tugs. -
Why movies like these get funded and made is beyond me. Beyond Stephen Merchant's zingers and his really funny delivery, this movie did not deliver what could have been a super premise for psychological and sociological exploration. Instead we have a sappy love story, awkward dynamics between actors, lines that do not suit a character, and rather juvenile humour. Eek!