Nothing new, interesting in 'Our Family Wedding'

Forest Whitaker has the Bernie Mac role and Carlos Mencia fills in for George Lopez in “Our Family Wedding,” a broad and formulaic culture-clash comedy built on fill-in-the-blank wedding-comedy clichés.

The novelty here? The cultures clashing are Mexican-American and African-American. The filmmakers leave few stereotypes unuttered in this cute yet coarse, sweet and slow farce about America Ferrera tying the knot with Lance Gross.

Their characters are co-habitating New Yorkers who trek back to L.A. to surprise each other’s family with the news that, yes, they’ve been dating outside their race and culture and, yes, they’re getting married.

Since their equally successful dads (Whitaker and Mencia) are as quick to play the race card as they are to blurt out “YOU people,” this could get messy.

Only it doesn’t. This meek little laugher doesn’t have the wit to take things into uncomfortable territory and doesn’t have the cast to make the thin set-ups — an inter-family softball game, inter-family cake fights, “tradition” bashing and bonding — sing.

Singing is actually one thing that does work, as the leads and even supporting players (the hilarious Charlie Murphy) croon the Babyface hit, “As Soon as I Get Home” to comic “whipped” effect.

This film is like a wedding for an iffy marriage: Begins with a little promise and attains a hint of edge before the air goes out and we all flee before they shove cake in each other’s faces.

OUR FAMILY WEDDING

Cast: Forest Whitaker, America Ferrara, Carlos Mencia, Regina King, Charlie Murphy

Director: Rick Famuyiwa

Theaters: Tinseltown

Rated: PG-13 (for some sexual content and brief strong language)

Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

GRADE: D+