Ben Murphy bravely proposes to Sadie Jones in front of the entire Jones family at her parents’ 30th wedding anniversary. When she accepts, the jubilant mood rapidly turns to a pragmatic discussion on where they should wed.

The groom-to-be wants a simple, casual wedding somewhere tropical like the Caribbean. But Sadie's always dreamt her big day would take place at St. Augustine’s, the family church.

Being the venue of her grandparents' wedding and Sadie’s own christening, Ben bites the bullet and agrees. Enter Reverend "good marriages are my business" Frank.

The unorthodox man of the cloth demands that couples complete his mandatory crash-course in marriage before they can receive his blessing.

Consisting of rigorous rules - no sex before the wedding; outlandish homework assignments; caring for repulsive robotic twin dolls; absurd invasions of privacy like having their bedroom bugged - the Reverend’s pre-nuptial program, overseen by his devilish young sidekick (Josh Flitter), strains the sweetheart’s relationship.

Can they complete the course or will the vicar’s vicious test tear their love apart? The truth is you won’t really care.

Save one or two funny moments from ad-lib specialist Williams and the comic chemistry he enjoys with Krasinski (star of the US version of The Office), License to Wed fails to entertain. The only license it has been granted is one to annoy viewers; it passes that test with flying colours.

Krasinski and Moore don’t produce enough sparks to convince as a couple so you never engage or empathise with their plight.

Relying too heavily on Williams’ comedic credentials to squeeze laughs from a script sent from hell, the gags ultimately fall flat.

This should have been a fairly formulaic flick and whilst it jumps through all the predictable plot hoops, it’s caught between a madcap, charming romcom and a creepy black comedy. The fact remains that without laughs, it's neither.

License to Wed should be divorced for irreconcilable differences.

Bill Beattie