It is a good film overall, but the original film and the TV series are both much better. Brother Boy and Latrelle are the highlights of the film, whereas in the film/tv series, they were some of my least favorites. Sissy is no longer played by Beth Grant, which is okay, but Dale Dickey doesn't capture the character. Sissy is now a bible-loving fanatic who rarely pops Valium and doesn't have her southern charm. Lavonda has been heavily reduced to a filler character, bearing no relevance to the plot overall. Noletta even banging a hospital patient in their hospital bed. Juanita is, surprisingly, still alive and is still a drunk. GW is still grieving over Peggy Ingram's death, even though this film takes place years and years after the television series. The only highlights were Brother Boy and Latrelle, and that's quite sad. Latrelle finally accepts homosexuality and Brother Boy is indirectly kidnapped, then reunited with his family. It was a good film, but not one that I'd watch again.
Add a Review
-
nicetryjan21 July 2019
-
nogodnomasters12 November 2017The film centers on a family living in a small white conservative town. With the brother being a cross dresser and the son being gay and having married a black man, the family changes its views in order to be a family again.
The film had a lot of good characters that kept falling short. The action and dialogue was too trite and scripted. The church climax scene with the Bible challenge was an over used argument. The film would have been good with some minor script adjustments and some stars in the major roles...like Meryl Streep.
Guide: F-word. Brief sex. Brief male nudity. -
crazyzubr22 October 2017Seems to have been written during a major hangover with no edits and put out there. Stream of consciousness dribble go every which way. Cannot tell you have let down I was and almost embarrassed for writer it was so bad. Film was not a good idea, dated and everyone looks like they got pulled through a bush backwards.
-
gennypettifer5 November 2017This movie does a great job of pointing out how hypocritical and small- minded some "righteous" folks can be without being overbearing. It's sweet and funny and isn't afraid to poke fun at itself. I felt like it illustrated how everyone has a story and that learning a person's story is more important than jumping to conclusions. I really had a great time watching this movie.
-
stevenjune21 January 2018This 2nd Sordid movie (third if you count the amazing series) is lacking several things; 1) Olivia Newton-John. Whose character is not even mentioned in the entire movie. 2) The opening song ("Sordid Lives...it's a bitch") was sung by a guy not Olivia Newton-John. 3) The character of Sissy Hickey was played by Dale Dickey NOT Beth Grant as in the first movie and the series. I like Dale as an actress, but Beth made the character funny and unique. Dale looked liked Sissy with flatter hair. She had some of Beth's motions down but still, the character felt incomplete. 4) There were no plates of fried chicken at Sissy's house. 5) Sissy & the girls drank soda not iced tea like in the first movie and series. 6) The living room of Sissy's house was changed-the wall where the picture of Jesus hung was torn down so you could see to the kitchen. The picture of Jesus on the wall above where Sissy sat, smoked and popped Valiums made it ironic and funny. 7) There was only one scene where Valium was used. And only Sissy took some. In the first movie/series they all ate Valium and stole them from each other like candy; Ironic and funny. 8) Dr. Eve was only in the movie in Brother Boy's dreams/visions which lost the effect and dynamic of those two characters. 9) The recycling of one liners that were funny in the first movie/series but not so much in this film; "Let's get this done before anymore shit hits the fan", "I'm not obese, it's a glandular problem", 10) Loss of irony-which made the first movie and the series unique and humorous. 11) Juanita's stories were nowhere near as funny as in the first movie/series. It wasn't a bad film. I think it it could have been a whole lot better and funnier. I would recommend the series followed by the first Sordid Lives movie. All the key elements are in place in these two. And they're hysterically funny and entertaining. Sordid Wedding seems thrown together with very weak dialogue, situations and some important and funny characters and actors missing.
-
friscolver13 November 2017I never saw Sordid Lives before. Maybe I should have. Came upon this movie at random, didn't know what to expect. My opinion? Save your money. This movie has it all, for starters, way over-done, too many ingredients, out of focus, should have been simpler and with more clarity. Add to that, bad script, bad directing, bad acting, bad editing (screenplay). This movie is all over the place and drifts away from main subject (of the wedding) so much that I found it confusing. Compare it to the Birdcage with Robin Williams. Now THAT was a great movie! Sordid Wedding had way too many characters to keep up with. Unnecessary. Getting back to bad script, actors lines seemed unnatural. Bad editing, too much camera time devoted to the old man drag queen. I found this character boring and really didn't help the movie at all. Bad directing, Is this wannabee director trying to be funny or serious? Make up your mind. Go back to film school. Whoopie Goldberg? I mean, like, what's the point?
-
A VERY SORDID WEDDING
SORDID LIVES (2000) became a cult classic almost as soon as it was released. Subsequent to that film hit, a one season tv series was launched. Some of the original film cast repeated their roles, others were replaced.
A VERY SORDID WEDDING (2017) is a follow-up to the original, focusing on healing relationships and bringing about some happy endings. This is all in the context of gay marriage and anti-equality faith denominations denying human rights.
The writing is a bit preachy and heavy-handed, considering if you are seeing the film, you are probably not a right-wing anti-gay conservative, who needs educating.
The iconic roles of Latrelle (Bonnie Bedalia), Sissie (Dale Dickey), and LaVonda (Ann Walker) are more than ably filled by these superb actresses. Bedalia is even better than she was in the original, which is almost hard to realize as she stole that film with her barely controlled hysteria.
Leslie Jordan is back as Brother Boy, attempting to win a drag competition with his one-man, three women (Wynette, Lynn, Parton) show, and just as nobly outrageous as before. Producer/Actor Emerson Collins in a small role as a serial killer gives a stunning performance in a few brief scenes. (I've seen him in other Del Shores productions and he is quite a chameleon and a seemingly brilliant actor.)
My only gripe is that 17 years after the original, Kirk Geiger (aged 48 at the time of filming), has aged facially to the point where pairing him with T. Ashanti Mozelle (33 at the time) seems a December/May romance. It would have felt more appropriate for an older actor to be cast opposite Mr. Geiger, who having originated the role or Ty, should have been retained at all costs in the sequel.
Is it as much fun as the original? No, not really. The gay issue in the original was one of many plot and character story lines. Here it is all anyone is talking about and the film suffers from heavy-handedness, leading to boredom, on a number of occasions.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who has not seen and liked the original. Fun for those of us who have, but hardly a mind blowing experience. -
lesvisible-743-37998826 October 2017I hardly know where to begin. The acting was as wooden as anything I have ever seen. the writing was execrable and the characters were as sad and tedious as the points attempting to be made. I watched it with the hope of humor. I experienced none. I am grateful that I was able to turn it off which I did around 20 minutes in. It is possible that the film changed after that point. It is possible that the plot was completely rewritten and all the characters were changed but I kind of doubt this. From the other reviews I get the impression that everyone worked at the film or had relatives who did. I can't remember the last time I wrote a review here or if I ever did but this movie was so bad that I consider it my civic duty to warn anyone who might be hoping to be entertained. I am still trying to get my head around the idea that anyone did like this film, even if they were in it or had relatives in it. It seems to me that common decency demands one tell the truth, the way you might warn motorists that there is a terrible accident up ahead, or that the bridge is out. Had I seen this in a theater and had to drive there in order to, I imagine that I would wish the bridge were out. It would have removed the memory of this film from my mind.
I think you have to be a certain type of person to have liked this film. I don't know who that would be because I have never met them and hope not to. It was really really bad and I will make it a point to see if anyone associated with this film is ever mentioned in another film I have yet to see. I am exceedingly happy that I did not watch far enough to encounter Whoopi Goldberg. There are some good things about this film. I didn't have to watch Whoopi and I did shut it off early so... it's not all bad. I'm going to make it a point to now comment on films I see so as not to give the impression that I am a generally negative sort. -
TheJonesBones18 August 2021I can't write a better review than others have done, except to say I grew up in that part of the world, which makes me a bit of an expert on the characters and setting. I don't talk to my relatives there any longer, BTW - once you see this film, you'll understand why. I know I do.
Not that I wouldn't call them, but, well... just watch the "Jimmy Ray Brewton" (Levi Kreis) character and you get the worst side of that bunch. If you use proper grammar and spelling and occasionally eat a salad, you would find yourself in the same place as Latrelle (Bonnie Bedelia) very quickly.
The eye shadow. The hair. The clothes. Even the accents. East Texas to a nut!!!
I bet you'll like this very sordid wedding, too! I haven't even finished the film yet because I'm taking time to post some of the most hilarious quotes I've ever heard on film!
Save me! Make all the ugly in the world go away!!! -
sergepesic11 December 2022Now and then we all could use a feel-good movie. Reality is deeply overrated, especially when shoved down our throats on daily basis. "A Very Sordid Movie" is not so sordid, quite the opposite. It's hilariously funny, smartly paced, poking fun at the homey, down South baloney. It's all fun and games until the script got to the potholes no car should drive on. It got kind of preachy, that works only on previously converted (hence no point to it at all), schmaltzy and frankly cloying. It is a damn shame that a person who wrote all of those funny lines got stuck on the most predictable and trite plot line. Not everything has to have a happy ending to feel good. Sometimes just stirring up trouble does the trick.
-
larpine-225-3716654 November 2017Sordid Lives was nothing less than a masterpiece considering the length of the shoestring budget in which it was made. I remember renting the DVD only to find myself of the floor, holding my stomach to prevent my laughter from causing internal damage.
This installment, in turn, generated a complete total of one laugh.
Like the original, the film calls on the forces of white thrash good and evil, but instead of the side splitting laughter and honestly played scene, the film attempts to wrap everything in a pink bow, cheaply stealing lines from the original.
There's even five minutes of Whoopi Goldberg that's basically the identical cameo she played in Absolutely Fabulous, but good luck getting that far into the film.
Seventeen years for this? I want my money back. -
A Very Sordid Wedding (2017) was written and directed by Del Shores. In 2000, Shores directed Sordid Lives, and, after that, there was a Sordid Lives series on LOGO. (Everyone in the theater apparently knew all about LOGO, but I had to look it up.)
Before we saw the movie, we read the publicity that told us that there was a backstory to this new movie. However, for us the movie was hilarious, so you can enjoy it without knowing the backstory.
The film is set in Winters, Texas. It's a great example of a conservative, Bible-oriented small town. However, there are some dissenting people among the crowd.
One of them is Latrelle Williamson, played perfectly by Bonnie Bedelia. The other cast members are also very good actors, including Leslie Jordan as Earl 'Brother Boy' Ingram, and Emerson Collins as Billy Joe Dobson.
Whoopi Goldberg has an important cameo role as Rev. Abernatha Coleman.
This is the type of movie that's hard to describe. Something funny happens, and then something funnier happens, and then all hell breaks loose. It will work on the small screen, but it would be better in a theater. This isn't because of the larger image. It's because once an audience starts to laugh during a movie like this, the laughter builds on itself, and everything appears even funnier. (In fact, if you see the movie on the small screen, invite some friends over to watch it with you.)
Del Shores and Emerson Collins attended the screening and participated in a Q&A session afterwards. I didn't have a question, but I had a comment: "My compliments on portraying a serial killer in such a way that you felt sympathy, rather than anger, towards him." That couldn't have been easy.
We saw this film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre, as part of Image Out, the great Rochester LGBT Film Festival. This is a wonderful movie, and worth seeking out. -
carol_m_frausto6 January 2021What a waste of time. I can endure a slow movie... wait for it, wait for it, and now the movie is on a roll. This movie is a complete piece of garbage WASTE of TIME. You can have a SORDID. Definition (dirty or squalid) life but do we need to see it on the Big Screen? I would prefer not.
-
terry-johnson301515 November 2017Loved this movie and it's great actors and especially bringing to light some of the most important social issues that we as American citizens are facing and dealing with. Like the movie 'Sordid Lives" I think that this movie will help many questioning and fearful young people to deal and accept themselves just as they are.
-
I don't know what anyone could ask for in a movie covering the topics covered. You get both sides of the story, regardless of your ultimate belief on homosexuality or same sex marriage. The comedy and story line is wonderful. I recently lost my mother and a certain hospital scene with the mother of one of the characters reminded me so much of my southern mama I couldn't help but laugh and remember her in a way that wasn't sad. Del Shores has proved a story can be written on a controversial topic and all sides can be addressed with humor, not complete hate.
-
scarpent-728845 November 2017Del Shores brings this Sordid Lives saga to a close with the characters you have fallen in love with from Sordid Lives and Sordid Lives, the Series. The laughs, the tears, the battles and a wonderful ending.
Bonnie Bedelia gives the performance of her career in this film reprising her role as Latrelle. -
fletcherfletch22 October 2017The first film was a precious gem. The sequel is as well, and worth every minute of the 17 years we had to wait. It is one laugh after another from the first scene to the last. The cast is perfect, not only the returnees but the recasts. SPOILER! Bonnie Bedelia has one of the best monologues in movie history as she schools a bunch of fake Christians in their own church on the bible that clearly none of them including the preacher seem to know. A perfectly sordid sequel indeed. Del Shores did it again! 10 out of 10.
-
alexbstanley5 November 2017An amazing ensemble cast brings us hilarity in the face of oppression. Leslie Jordan is brilliant! Del Shores' writing and directing is fantastic. Lots of fun and a wake up call for bigots everywhere. (Oh, and a shout-out to Whoopi Goldberg!) Do not miss this Gem of an independent film!
-
willburksii24 April 2017This movie doesn't disappoint. I'm glad that Del Shores developed these delightful characters to a logical resolution with this long overdue sequel. Whoopi Goldberg's appearance in the movie is cast perfectly and her dialogue sums the plot up so very nicely. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed this special screening at Texas Tech University, as well as the Q & A with Del Shores following the movie.
-
jtlindsay-919675 November 2017I saw this movie at an LBBTQ film festival in Winston Salem, NC and had the opportunity to meet members of the cast after. It's a fun follow up from Sordid Lives and I can only hope there's another installment sooner than later. A great reminder that love is love and that there's more that unites all of us than the things we allow to divide us. Portrayed with love, warm humor, and fun, it's a great continuation of the Sordid Lives franchise.
-
liggett-006498 October 2022I was going thru movies looking for a comedy and thought I'd give this one a look. I liked the title and thought I'd check it out. I only recognized a couple of actors in it, but it did not disappoint. It was laugh out loud funny. So many movies I've tried to watch that just make me squirm and turn them off because they aren't funny and no one can actually act in them. This has some unforgettable characters and the actors are great. A little over the top at times, but still fun to watch. Id recommend if you want a Movie that will make you laugh and characters you would like to see again, the. Check this one out.
-
"A Very Sordid Wedding" is an incredibly funny, yet very important film. The movie combines humor (and it is roll-in-the-aisles-side-splitting funny, so get ready to laugh out loud), wonderful writing, serious performances from its remarkable cast, with a deep insight into how the LGBT movement goes forward by confronting religious intolerance in America's churches. After all these years, we are again visited by the comical cast and characters of the "Sordid Lives" story. Del Shores, Emerson Collins and the remarkable cast outdid themselves with this movie. This film is the best one I have seen in a long, long time and should be a "must-see" movie for everyone. This movie will soon be seen as a classic. Go see it!
-
I wish that I could crawl inside of the brilliant mind of Del Shores and find out what has kept him writing original and fresh comedy for decades! If you are fan of the original Sordid Lives movie, then you will love A Very Sordid Wedding. Not only does it catch you up with what has been going on with all your favorite characters, but there is a wonderful message for today....in 2017. Equality! Love! Hope! Tolerance! Peace! This movie will make you laugh, cry, tinkle your pants as you're screaming laughing and cheer! Don't miss this wonderful movie which I think could also be called The Gospel According to Dell!
-
gsherri6818 June 2017I have been enamored with these zany Texas folks for-EVER, and have anxiously awaited this "wedding" episode". Del Shores is a master at creating true-to-life, down-to-earth characters...and, "love 'em or hate 'em", you WILL, by God, remember them...and even quote them in your daily life. Don't scoff at this -- you will! I can't tell you how often I ignore that invisible bubble above my brain containing what I truly WANT to reply to someone, but instead, i think of Brother Boy, tap my finger on my chin, and simply respond with a quiet..."Mmmmmmmkayyyyyy..." And there's no telling how many "Sweet Baby Jesus-es" I utter on a daily basis:).
Del started as an actor and stand up comedian, I know... but beyond his pretty face and beneath his razor-sharp, creative wit, there is a deep well of passion for equality and inclusion. He's not afraid to mix in social issues with story lines. As a peaceful activist myself, I believe that hearts and minds can be opened with 'art' -- theater, dance, books, music, painting -- with ALL creative media. We humans are a weird bunch -- we tend to stick with what we know -- and many of us stay in that "...but that's the way we've always done it" mode. Here's the thing: it's hard to continue resenting others once you truly know them -- hear their story -- identify some of their feelings and experiences as similar to your own. Del digs deep with his creations...you do get to 'know' his folks. And I'm betting that some -- maybe even all -- of any fears or negative cognitions you might've had about a particular segment of our society, will be reduced, or perhaps even eliminated.
Folks, DO go see "A Very Sordid Wedding". It is well written, the actors are superb, the laughs are non-stop, and the poignant nuggets of wisdom and enlightenment are heartwarming. Like every work of Mr. Del Shores, this jewel humbly reminds us humans that we are all more alike than different. It encourages us to live authentically, to not take ourselves so seriously, and to enjoy life with passion and integrity. Oh, yes...and, most importantly... to love one another. Yep... I think Del feels, as I do, that that's why we're on Planet Earth: to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
I remember reading that ... in a Book... a long time ago. -
spikeindfw15 March 2020I traditionally do post reviews. I liked this movie. When you need to laugh watch this movie and this movie will most definitely do that. The special appearances are well placed in this film as well as the locals from Texas.