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The story opens with the press gathered, cameras and microphones ready, at the door of a large hotel. Out comes someone dressed in white, with a veil covering her head. We - and the press - assume she’s the bride they are waiting for. Then someone else emerges, also with a veil covering her head, albeit not in white. And then someone else…
It’s clear that there’s a major society wedding about to take place, and that the happy couple are trying to avoid the press. This is probably a vain hope, since the bride is a famous and very beautiful actress called Lara (Alice Eve). There has been much speculation about who she might marry on the front covers of magazines. But she’s finally made her choice in James (David Tennant) who is a writer with a recent publishing success, a kind of travel guide to some of the Hebridean islands.
Unfortunately the wedding is halted when an intrusive member of the press is found hiding. Marco (Frederico Castellucio) has been stalking Lara, and somehow manages to find out where she is, no matter where she hides. Not that she’s in any danger from him, but she is fed up of his persistence.
So James’ publicity team agree to relocate the wedding to a small, private one on the (fictional) island of Hegg, which has a population of just 75. James has written about this island in enthusiastic terms, in particular praising a castle. But when the team arrive there, they find it’s a ruin. James’ book, it seems, is more fiction than fact…
Meanwhile on Hegg a young woman in her early thirties is returning after working in Edinburgh. Katie (Kelly Macdonald) is still upset after a broken engagement, and has decided to give up on men. Her mother, who is in a wheelchair and terminally ill, runs the only bed and breakfast place on the island. She has never left Hegg, but would love to travel and see the world before she dies.
‘The decoy bride’ is essentially a romantic comedy, although there’s not a huge amount of comedy. We smiled several times; there are some clever lines, and some mildly amusing situations. But there are some quite serious issues too, not just that of celebrities trying to escape media attention.
When James meets Katie in some rather dank-looking public toilets that are supposed to be haunted, they clash and misunderstand each other. By the principles of romantic comedies they were likely to end up together, we thought. But it was hard to see how it might happen. Then Lara vanishes, and Katie is offered a large amount of money to be the ‘Decoy bride’, for the sake of the press, so that James and Lara can have their wedding later, more privately…
It’s all very well done, in a mostly light-hearted way. David Tennant is good in any role he plays, though it must have been a bit strange for him, as a Scot, being the only person using an English accent surrounded by Scots. He’s entirely believable as the besotted James who has made his money due to good publicity rather than genuine research.
I liked Katie, too. She’s a bit awkward - intentionally so, I assume - and tends to speak her mind. She’s had bad experiences in the past, and tensions with her mother. But she does love her. There’s a beautiful moment, too, when she uses sign language competently to communicate with an elderly deaf couple who are dancing. And I very much appreciated the way that she and James gradually overcome their antipathy and realise that they could be good friends…
The romance element is quite low key, with nothing explicit and only passing references to sexual issues. There’s no violence, only the mildest of bad language, and nothing particularly tense. It’s rated 12 in the UK; just PG in the United States. Unlikely to be of interest to children, but there’s really nothing unsuitable for them, in my opinion.
Definitely recommended if you like light-hearted romcoms with some unusual features. There are no ‘extras’ on our DVD.
Review copyright 2025 Sue's DVD Reviews
