Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Table 19 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 14, 2017

Table 19 is one of those “high concept” films, by which I mean someone must have been high when they came up with it. While the screenplay is by Jeffrey Blitz, the story credit goes to Blitz and the Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, and those who enjoy the Duplass’ penchant for loosey-goosey “dramedy” as evidenced by films like Jeff, Who Lives at Home or television outings like Togetherness: The Complete First Season may find enough energy here to make it through some of the more turgid parts. Table 19’s setup is simplicity itself, throwing together a bunch of ostensible rejects who have been invited to a wedding (some in the hopes that they won’t actually show up), and who all end up assigned to the titular table. That then supposedly leads to both hilarity and “really meaningful” interactions, many of which play like on the fly improvisations that meander for a while before ultimately dying off. The film has a uniquely charismatic cast, but they’re saddled with such artifice that the entire enterprise will probably make many viewers wish that they hadn’t been invited to attend this particular affair.

Table 19 begins with Eloise (Anna Kendrick) obsessively checking both “will attend” and “won’t attend” boxes on a wedding invitation, something that ultimately leads to her emotional breakdown. Later, in one of the curious pieces of exposition that this film regularly indulges in, Eloise confesses to her Table 19 mates at the reception which she does indeed attend that she had been the original maid of honor, but that the best man, the bride’s brother Teddy (Wyatt Russell) dumped her, and therefore things changed. Initial showdowns between Eloise, Teddy and Teddy’s new (but actually “old”) main squeeze Nikki (Amanda Crew) seem to be building to an early catharsis, but instead this film repeatedly makes Kendrick play Eloise as a whiny neurotic, something that becomes increasingly tired when the already fitful laughs begin landing with less and less frequency.

But there are some laughs scattered throughout Table 19, and, as mentioned above, for those willing to coast on the cast’s considerable charisma, those laughs may be enough. The other tablemates include nerdy single Renzo (Tony Revolori), Jerry (Craig Robinson) and Bina (Lisa Kudrow) Kepp, social media friends of the bride’s father, Jo Flanagan (June Squibb), the bride’s childhood nanny, and Walter Thimble (Stephen Merchant), a not quite ex-con (white collar variety) who is almost as nerdy as Renzo is. The film simply plops down these characters at the same location, has them fitfully “bond” as a pseudo-family unit, and then lets various storylines play out, none of which feel authentic and many of which are almost weirdly melancholic for a supposed comedy.

That aforementioned potential catharsis actually does show up, at least in part, somewhat later in the film, when some intuition on the part of Jo leads to a brouhaha between Eloise and Teddy. It’s here that the film finds at least a little real feeling energy, though once again Eloise is made out to be a volcanic presence whose emotions seem to change on a whim. Teddy meanwhile is written to be a kind of arrogant doofus, something that makes an even later denouement feel once again forced and overly contrived.

In other ways, though, the film relies on what feel like scenes ripped from some half forgotten sitcom, with one character facing death, another facing birth, and Eloise even potentially stealing a groom (Thomas Cocquerel) from another wedding, in another kind of perplexing character trait which momentarily at least plays like a reverse angle version of Runaway Bride. All of the misfits at Table 19 are obviously written to be flawed but lovable, and therein lies part of the problem: there’s neither a baseline normalcy to most of these eccentrics, nor does the film also want to go full out gonzo with them a la Bridesmaids or The Hangover Trilogy. Instead, Table 19 ambles along genially enough, landing a few laughs here and there, but ultimately being the kind of celebration most people would show up to if there's nothing better to do, but one which no one is probably going to clamor to RSVP to.

Table 19 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Table 19 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The film's closing credits helpfully list the Alexa as the camera having been used. This was shot by Ben Richardson, perhaps taking a step down from the more lustrous visual opportunities of films like Beasts of the Southern Wild, and more in line with his work in films like The Fault in Our Stars or Drinking Buddies. The results, while not "wow" material, are precise and natural looking, especially with regard to elements like the fine fibers in the reception hall's appointments, the texture of the paper the RSVP comes on, or some of the frills on outfits various characters wear. Lighting regimens are relatively natural, though some scenes in a hotel room are dimmer than the bulk of the presentation. No really aggressive grading has been employed, and so the palette looks fresh throughout, though things only really pop in a traditional way in a few outdoor moments. Bitrates are generally healthy, and there are no issues with compression artifacts.

Table 19 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Table 19's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 provides constant if sometimes subtle immersion courtesy of the crowd sounds within the wedding reception hall, but kind of interestingly, this is one modern ensemble comedy which is not driven by nonstop source cues on the soundtrack. Instead, there's a kind of dinky (sorry) wedding band that pounds through a variety of eighties hits, though even those are often mixed to a secondary status underneath whatever dialogue's going on. And dialogue is certainly the main focal element of this soundtrack, one that is supported perfectly well here with no problems whatsoever.

Table 19 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 8:12)


• Promotional Featurettes are all standard brief EPKs:

  Table of Rejects (1080p; 1:42)

  Head of the Table (1080p; 2:21)

  Table for Six (1080p; 2:04)

• Gallery (1080p; 2:28) offers both an Auto Advance and a Manual Advance option. The timing is for the Auto Advance option.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:24)

Table 19 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You've seen most of the characters in Table 19 before, and often in more inviting (sorry) films than this one. This is pleasant entertainment, but rarely more, even though it's obviously reaching for some kind of emotional breakthrough as it wends its way to a too convenient feel good ending (if one character's demise can be part of a feel good ending, that is). Performances are fine if kind of unremarkable, and Table 19 finally suffices as an okay timekiller, but nothing overly special. Technical merits are strong for those considering a purchase.