Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Mandy Moore (left) as Sadie Jones, Robin Williams (centre) as Reverend Frank and John Krasinski as Ben Murphy in a scene from the movie 'License to Wed'. -Contributed

Just before the lights went down in Cinema 3 of Carib 5, Cross Roads, on Monday evening, chairman of Jamaica Trade and Invest Robert Gregory said, "I hope this is a blockbuster".

Those hopes rest on License to Wed, a comedy starring Robin Williams as Rev. Frank and Ben Murphy (John Krasinski) and Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore) as a couple taking a three-week immersion in Frank's marriage preparation course.

The Jamaican connection comes after they quarrel at the rehearsal and a tearful Sadie decides to use her honeymoon tickets anyway. Those gatheredfor the premiere applauded, as advised they could by Sue Rosen of Air Jamaica, at the sight of a 'spirited' landing.

Cheers for Jamaica

The touchdown is also symbolic of a windfall for Jamaica, as Gregory pointed out that last year Jamaica earned $900 million from being a location for film and "we are hoping to earn some more this year".

Director of Tourism Basil Smith said, "Let's face it. Jamaica simply looks good on film."

He congratulated Air Jamaica and Sandals for getting their products placed prominently in License to Wed, noting how much Cocktail did for Red Stripe.

And Patrick Lynch of Sandals, where Ben and Sadie finally wed after he writes the missing wedding vows that had troubled her so much in the sand under her window ("I promise to fight fair"), said, "Everybody knows we are the number one for holidays for two. We have always been associated with love and lovemaking and loving generally."

Lynch said that since July 3, the resort chain has been part of a major effort with the film's promoters, Warner Brothers, in promoting License to Wed, Sandals and Jamaica.

However, the cheers for the Air Jamaica sighting came late in the movie, long after the giggles from Ben and Sadie's trials as they negotiate the reverend's course (helped by demented and devoted choirboy, played by Josh Flitter) have worn very thin.

There is the ban on bonking, helped by a bug in the bedroom (the reverend and choirboy monitor from a van outside, with emergency action taken to extinguish the heat of the horny where necessary), there is the pair of baby robots strapped to Ben that cry, puke, pee and poo, there is the foul-up with 'f' and 'p' that changes the essence of 'part' in a wedding band inscription, there is the final step of Sadie driving blind with Ben giving her instructions.

Scraping for laughs

But, there is just so much a filmmaker can pack into 21 days of marriage preparation (they squeeze in Ben's attempt to discredit the reverend byrevealing his divorce) and by the time Sadie ends up in Jamaica (with her entire family, no less), they are scraping the bottom of the barrel of laughs.

Then, Ben turns up at Sandals Plantation in the back of a small van (which has in a bundle of long cane and the standard couple Rastafarians), and when Sadie makes the call of final enlightenment to Rev. Frank, he is on a plane (the standard Rastafarian with red, green and gold in one seat, the omnipresent choirboy beside him).

There is a good late line as the flight attendant says,"There is no smoking on this flight, but you can light up whatever you like once we land in Jamaica."

That Jamaica does look good on film, and Sadie and Ben get married under a gazebo over the ocean (Wayne Armond is a distinctive figure in the group of musicians and singers to provide the party music), a blockbuster License to Wed isn't.