| I Do (But I Don't) | |
|---|---|
| Based on | I Do (But I Don't) by Cara Lockwood |
| Teleplay by | Eric C. Charmelo (as Eric Charmelo) Nicole Snyder |
| Directed by | Kelly Makin |
| Starring | Denise Richards Dean Cain Karen Cliche Jessica Walter |
| Music by | Danny Lux |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Jane Goldenring Randy Sutter |
| Cinematography | Serge Ladouceur |
| Editor | Micky Blythe |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Production companies | Ira Pincus Films Von Zerneck-Sertner Films |
| Budget | 97 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Lifetime |
| Release | September 13, 2004 |
I Do (But I Don't) is a 2004 [1] American made-for-television romantic comedy film starring Denise Richards, Dean Cain, Karen Cliche, Olivia Palenstein and Mimi Kuzyk. It was directed by Kelly Makin and written by Cara Lockwood and Eric C. Charmelo. The film is based on the Cara Lockwood romance novel of the same name.
Junior wedding planner Lauren Crandell is assigned a wedding for Darla Tedanski, the daughter of a prominent family. Lauren's boss Gennifer "G" promises her a long overdue promotion if she does well.
The next day, Lauren meets quirky, hunk firefighter Nick Corina when he rescues a groom from a failed "grand entrance." She feels an immediate attraction, but when Lauren accidentally meets Nick again that night, she sees Darla hanging on him. When she checks, Darla's groom is "James Nicholas Corina."
Lauren tries to forget Nick and focus on Darla's wedding plans while a bridal magazine interviews G, who takes sole credit for all of their weddings - for which Lauren has done most of the work. Darla turns out to be a "Bridezilla", a controlling, egotistical child of privilege who has lost perspective about her wedding day. Lauren's main relief is the humour and camaraderie of Mark, Darla's long-suffering, overtly gay aide.
Lauren's best friend takes her out to the firemen's ball as a surprise. Nick's very drunk brother Jay tries to sweep Lauren onto the dance floor. Seeing Lauren's disinterest in Jay, Nick brushes him off, then asks her to dance. As soon as the dance is over, Lauren hurries off.
G's mischievous dog, who Lauren had been assigned to watch while simultaneously putting on the final touches to a wedding, damages many things. As Nick has shown up, he helps her recapture it. After everything is running smoothly, he invites Lauren to who insists they strickly stick to wedding arrangements.
Therefore Nick convinces Lauren he knows of the perfect place for the wedding reception. He takes her to a park and they go by rowboat to the spot. It is like a little kids play park carnival, complete with a merry-go-round.
As Nick confesses that he really did not take Lauren there for the wedding, he says he would really like to talk to her to get something off his chest, Lauren panics. She steps off the carousel before it stops and twists her ankle. So, Nick takes her to the doctor.
Two hours later, Nick is carrying Lauren into her apartment. She is very giddy and high on pain medication. Lauren confesses she thinks he is cute, before passing out. Nick, feeling responsible for her, stays the whole night on the armchair while she is on the sofa. In the morning, he makes her, himself and her sister breakfast.
At work, Darla has come, upset. She wants Lauren to help her and her fiancé to adjust the guest list. Fearing she will have to uncomfortably deal with Nick, she comes face-to-face with Jay, his brother. Lauren is relieved she was wrong, as Nick is actually the best man.
Lauren happily finds Nick in the fire station in the evening. He takes her up on the roof and shows her the surprise dinner he had planned for her there. Lauren recognises she has been standoffish because she believed Nick was Darla's groom. He admits that he had been on two dates with her, but that is all.
The date goes well, as they are mutually attracted. Lauren goes home with Nick, and they are intimate. Stays over and goes directly from there to work the next day.
Arriving to work late, Lauren finds a note from G. She has gone to a conference in Atlanta and has left her in charge of the office and her dog. It of course has made a mess, so Lauren has to frantically get the space back in order.
That night, Lauren's mother Cookie invites Lauren and Lauren's one-year-separated husband Brad to dinner. Not knowing Brad cheated on Lauren, Cookie wants her to give the marriage a second chance. However, all Lauren wants is for Brad to stop stalling and sign the divorce papers she sent him weeks ago.
Variety said, "Sugary sweet and full of eye candy, 'I Do (But I Don't)' tries hard to hark back to the days when men and women in films meet cute, have a series of silly misunderstandings that put the kibosh on the budding relationship and then meet even cuter to reconcile. In this day of omnipresent email and cell phones, the conceit is a stretch, but Lifetime devotees should find the telepic an amusing trifle with which to spend the night." [2] It concluded "what holds the movie together are the smaller moments — seemingly targeted toward the Lifetime aud — that connect the broader slapstick." [2]