Table 19

Plot

Eloise McGarry has "dropped out" as maid of honor at her old friend Francie Millner's wedding after the bride's brother broke up with her. She decides to go but finds herself at Table 19, which she knows is seated with guests who were only reluctantly invited and whom the hosts hoped would not attend. While she is looking into the reception hall, she meets a man named Huck who notices her looking distressed and offers words of advice which are not well received by Eloise.

Eloise finally walks in to the reception hall and meets her table mates who are Jerry and Bina Kepp, Facebook friends with the groom's father and who own a chain of diners; Renzo Eckberg, whose parents are acquaintances of the groom and who came to the wedding in the hopes of meeting a girl; Jo Flanagan, Francie's childhood nanny; and Walter Thimble, a distant nephew who is currently on parole after he was tricked into stealing $125,000 from the bride's father. The table debates whether table 19 is a "good table" to which Eloise responds that before getting dumped she planned half the wedding and knows for a fact that table 19 is for "guests that should have known not to show up."

As the newlyweds come in the reception hall and start dancing, Eloise starts feeling insecure and accepts a dance from Huck, whom she kisses. He declines to sit down with her and she realizes he is crashing the wedding and that "Huck" isn't his real name.

Although the six initially have difficulty finding anything to talk about, they swiftly band together when Jo realizes that Eloise is pregnant, pointing out that she isn't drinking and vomits the mini hot dogs being served as an appetizer. This leads to a confrontation with Teddy about dumping Eloise because she said they would be ridiculous parents. During this confrontation the wedding cake is destroyed as Teddy backs into it. Bitter at this development and feeling unappreciated at the wedding, the Table 19 denizens go to Jo's room to smoke pot and converse about their reasons for attending the wedding. Going out for a walk, Jerry offers Renzo some advice about how to pick up girls, while Eloise realizes that Jo has cancer. Jo admits that she is probably 'due' the same time Eloise will give birth. Eloise says she thinks she's having a girl and Jo asks that she not name her "Jo" as it's a tough name for a girl. Bina and Jerry fight and she tells him the reason she came to the wedding was to have an affair. Bina asks Walter to escort her back to the hotel where she asks him to ask the front desk clerk if an old ex boyfriend has checked in, but he has not. Jerry and Bina continue fighting about the fragility of their marriage, but soon make up in their hotel shower.

On Jo's recommendation, the six attempt to find the wedding crasher that Eloise had encountered earlier, with the aid of the wedding photographer and the hotel reception staff. They learn that "Huck" is actually the groom of another wedding at the same hotel. Deciding to score a small payback and atone for the earlier accident, Walter steals Huck's wedding cake to replace the one damaged earlier.

Returning to the wedding, Table 19 is visited by the bride and groom, the groom noting that his mother has always complimented the Kepp diner and Francie assuring Jo and Eloise that she appreciates their efforts. A brief but touching childhood story Francie shares about Teddy inspires the table to see him in a new light, prompting Eloise to shout out an apology to him from the dock as the boat carrying the core wedding party sails away.

Eloise, Walter, Jo, and Renzo return to the wedding hall for the last of the cake, and are joined by the Kepps who are in bathrobes. The mood significantly changes when Teddy suddenly appears, dripping wet from apparently jumping off the boat and swimming to shore, and asks Eloise to repeat what she was trying to yell to him. Eloise asks that they both continue to be willing to forgive each other and they reconcile. Renzo asks the band to play them another song to which everybody dances, including Teddy.

A few months later, Jo has died of cancer and the Kepps are now taking care of her dog. Renzo and Walter have kept in touch with the rest of the Table 19 guests, and Eloise and Teddy are a happy family with their son named Joe. The movie ends with Francie opening a blue envelope that contains the birth announcement with a picture of Joe smiling.

Cast

Production

In April 2009, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired the film, with Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass set to direct. In October 2011, Jeffrey Blitz was set to direct the film instead. On March 24, 2015, it was announced that Anna Kendrick, Craig Robinson, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant, Tony Revolori, June Squibb, Wyatt Russell, and Amanda Crew would star in the film. Principal photography began on March 27, 2015, and ended on April 30, 2015.

Music

In February 2016, it was announced that John Swihart would score the film.

Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released on January 20, 2017, before being pushed back to March 3.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 23% based on 99 reviews, with a weighted average of 4.5/10. The film's critical consensus reads, "Table 19 is marginally more entertaining than actually sitting with a table full of strangers at a wedding—although most screenings won't come with an open bar, which makes it a wash." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 40 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".