While celebrating her newest and most lucrative account — the wedding of Internet tycoon Fran Donelly (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) — Mary (Jennifer Lopez) is rescued from a near-fatal collision with a runaway dumpster by handsome pediatrician Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey). After spending the most enchanting evening of their lives together, Mary thinks she’s finally found a reason to believe in love. What she doesn’t know is that cupid and her career are about to collide head-on.

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Video Quality

The Wedding Planner debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio from an older master that looks really great. Sony handles the remastering of all of their titles, so it would not surprise us if this was prepared in the past few years. What is surprising is to be this far into the format and only now getting this on Blu-Ray, as it seems like it would be time for it to receive a 4K UHD Blu-Ray like its studio and genre counterpart My Best Friend’s Wedding. While we will rejoice if the film is ever released on that format, this high definition upgrade is very welcome and serves this movie perfectly well.

The lovely film grain present is natural and consistent while allowing discrete details to shine through. These subtle details stand out with great clarity, especially in clothing and elements of the production design. Facial features are likewise detailed with makeup finely textured alongside natural skin tones. Colors are rich and vibrant as they bring out the full depth of all the hues of the environment. The transfer affords consistent opportunities for them to pop off the screen such as articles of clothing. Black levels are pretty deep without any noticeable blocking or compression artifacts. This Blu-Ray is a rock solid presentation until we can be blessed with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release.

Audio Quality

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings us this Blu-Ray with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that gives this movie great life. The dialogue comes through crisp and clear without being stepped on by any of the music or sound effects. The soundtrack is very important to establishing the mood of the film with these tunes being given great depth within the mix. The environmental effects are impeccably defined and given a dynamic placement throughout the speakers. The sounds of the retirement home chatter and the din of nature in the park along with a slew of other sounds bring nuanced life to the rear speakers. This is a track that springs to life more than you might expect, and the movie is all the better for it. Sony has done a fine job with this one. There are optional English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Adam Shankman and Writers Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis deliver a very lively and informative commentary track in which they discuss the movie scene by scene including motivations behind the film, the dedication of Jennifer Lopez, the collaborative nature between the departments, the way the script evolved, the ensemble cast and much more. There is an added layer of entertainment because Falk and Ellis used to be a couple, and they have some lighthearted barbs with one another.

Deleted Scenes: A 14-minute collection of unused footage is provided in rough standard definition which features some interesting moments including an alternate opening that was cut for time. This is provided with optional audio commentary from director Adam Shankman.

Making Of Featurette: A very brief three-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the film in very surface level terms.

The Dancer and The Cowboy: A three-minute featurette which takes a closer look at the dance sequences and the distinct advantage that Jennifer Lopez had in these moments.

Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

The Wedding Planner is a classic example of a romantic comedy which brings together a pair of charismatic figures to the screen and fleshes out the world with amusing characters and manageable obstacles. There are elements of the screenplay that annoy us, but by and large this is a very charming story buoyed by the performances of Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. There are numerous titles from this genre we enjoy more, but this is a good comfort watch when you need it. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a really good A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. While a 4K UHD release would have been lovely, we are grateful to finally have this available in high definition. Recommended

The Wedding Planner can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.