The paradise referred to in the film’s title is a stretch of beautiful beach called Punta del Este in the South American country of Uruguay.  The story involves a Canadian Alex Johnson (Jeff Roop), stranded there (for a while) but he is about to marry the beautiful but quirky Uruguayan beauty queen, Veronica (Patricia Wolf).  More humour is brought into what can be described as a madcap romance when Alex’s bickering parents Al (Nicholas Campbell) and Barbara (Maria Del Mar) drop in as well.

Co-writer Sean K. Robb and writer/director Bill Marks stereotype the hot-blooded female and hunky South American macho male.  However, this is forgiveable as the stereotypes are milked for humour for all that they are worth.  Hilarious is how the film starts with beach hunk Diego (Lucas Yarza with latino accent) speaking to the camera.  Topical issues like Canadian/American idol are infused into the script to involve the audiences to the film’s characters.  It helps that no character is annoying or unlikeable.  Even the mean ones are good to laugh at.  Each actor is a comedian in his or her own right.  Though the narrative never concentrates on one single character, the focus is always on the family as a whole.

Marks and Robb have considerable experience from TV and it shows.  The film moves like a television sitcom but lacks a solid blending of the subplots.  The point of the characters all being connected by family (directly or indirectly) does not suffice.

For a madcap romance, 14 DAYS IN PARADISE succeeds though it cannot help falling into clichéd territory like the conventional romantic comedy happy ending.  Still for a small Canadian movie, the film is unpretentious, occasionally charming, laugh-out loud funny in many parts and entertaining.  Don’t expect a lot and you will not be disappointed.