Audiences and critics have torn into Netflix’s new chart-topping rom-com, but slamming it as a cliched mess has not stopped it drawing hugh viewership

Netflix‘s current movie chart leader, Mother of the Bride, may have quickly risen to the pinnacle of the streamer’s film offerings, but the Brooke Shields-starring rom-com has also come in for some heavy criticism. Not only has this included a plummeting Rotten Tomatoes score, but claims from audiences that the script is so bad it could be AI-generated. The film features Shields as Lana, who faces unexpected challenges when she attends her daughter’s (Miranda Cosgrove) wedding in Thailand, only to discover the groom’s father is her old flame (Benjamin Bratt).

The film is a well-worn blending of comedy and romance set around the awkward reunion of two former lovers, and the complications that follow. Despite its success in viewership, the film has been criticized for both its script and performances. Critics and viewers alike have commented on the formulaic and overly simplistic nature of the script, with several pointing out the predictability of the project and use of many genre clichés.

The film pushed classic animated movie Shrek from the top of the Netflix’s chart, and easily bypassed Jerry Seinfeld’s new Pop Tart film Unfrosted. However, Mother of the Bride has not been well received by either critics or audiences, leading to the film gaining a 17% Tomatometer score and 21% audience approval rate. Several critics suggested that, as a Netflix movie, the film would be a perfect fit for “an algorithm that’s inserting scenes from the much funnier flicks it will now sit alongside in Netflix’s many-themed rows of content.” Audiences likewise were less than taken by the film, with many once again questioning why they cannot award a movie 0 stars.

What is ironic in the many complaints over the “AI-generated” script, is that Shields previously discussed the challenges of getting the script just right before filming. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran actress said:

“For me, this was one of those situations where I really wanted this script to be right, and I really wanted to push it through, and I had a lot of say in trying to get it seen by the right people. That was important for me, just because these kinds of stories are multilevel where there are different stories being told.”

While Mother of the Bride may not be setting a new benchmark as a movie masterpiece, the film is once again continuing a trend that many Netflix movies have followed, defying a slew of terrible reviews to be a huge success in terms of viewer numbers. The ability for subscribers to casually flick on any new arrival on streaming platforms, as opposed to making the effort and paying the cost of going to see a new movie on the big screen, has seen many movies scoring huge audiences for movies that make those audiences regret spending their time watching.