It's an old adage in Hollywood that January is often the dumping spot for films that studios have lost faith in. The Wedding Planner certainly won't change this tradition. Even stranger, the film's star Jennifer Lopez just released a brand new album last week, suggesting that this is some sort of bizarre marketing move. Well, I've heard her new album and it's a hell of lot better than her new movie.

Just call this lazy romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding Singer, because there are all too obvious shades of those far superior films running throughout this boring movie. In the Wedding Planner, Lopez plays the title role, an independent woman who excels when it comes to others' days of holy matrimony, but can't seem to get her own love life together. This all changes when an attraction comes in the form of Matthew McConaughey. In a typical, and far too easy plot twist, it turns out that McConaughey is engaged to Lopez's new client.

Thankfully, Lopez does have a light touch here, and shows a flair for light comedy. She does seem to have a good sense of comic timing and a likable charm. She feels more at home here than she did in The Cell, but doesn't match the strength of her work in Out of Sight. McConaughey on the other hand can't seem to breathe any kind of life into this one dimensional character. As is often the case with this actor, he seems miscast (as he was in both Contact and Amistad.) Never once did his performance come across as emotional or sincere, and that is the utmost importance in a film of this type. That's one of the reasons that Return to Me worked so well.

Of course, McConaughey isn't the only one to blame. He certainly gets no help from screenwriters Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis, or director Adam Shankman. It's hard to figure out what exactly these film makers were going for. This movie makes a complete mockery of the institution of marriage, and none of the characters act like adults. Most of the jokes in the film are tired, and many of the situations are labored.

Aside from a few inspired performances, The Wedding Planner came across as a big bore. For a romantic comedy, this film offers little romance and few laughs. What's left is a waste of 100 minutes.