My Best Friend's Wedding
4/4
Starring: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, Philip Bosco
Rated PG-13 for One Use of Strong Language and Brief Sex-Related Humor
On the surface, "My Best Friend's Wedding" appears to be a standard order romantic comedy. Some people who have seen it may think it actually is. But there is more going on here than initially meets the eye. It feels like it a traditional romantic comedy (a very good one, but a traditional one nonetheless), but there are some substantial differences. Most obvious is the unpredictability of the ending. In any kind of romance, the goal of the film is to bring two people together and allow them to fall in love. Because this requires a match of character, plot can be a detriment. We know they're going to meet, fall in love, break up, and get back together and live happily ever after. That's why we go to these movies. In "My Best Friend's Wedding," that may not be the case. This adds a new wrinkle onto what is already a sparkling confection.
Julianne (Roberts) is a food critic who has been best friends with Michael (Mulroney) since college. They dated, but Julianne dumped him. That didn't make much difference when they agreed that if they were both single at age 28, they would get married. As her editor, George (Everett), reminds her, she is 28, so when she gets urgent messages from Michael, she assumes that he's calling to honor their agreement. But that isn't the case. Michael met someone, the bubbly Kimmy (Diaz), and they're already planning on walking down the aisle...in four days. Now Julianne, realizing her mistake, is on a mission to break up the wedding and convince Michael to marry her instead.
Not only was casting Julia Roberts, one of the biggest stars at the time a good move financially, it was a stroke of genius from a storytelling perspective as well. Roberts is one of the most likable screen stars in history, with her big smile and warm demeanor. I don't think it's possible for her to play a complete bitch. Julianne does some really rotten things in this movie, but in order for the movie to work, we have to like her and root for her every step of the way. If that doesn't happen the movie falls flat on its face. With Roberts in the cast, the toughest obstacle for the movie is a success.
The supporting cast is also very good. Dermot Mulroney is more than a traditional hunk. He's definitely fetching; his smile is just as warm as Robert's, and he ably portrays the hope and uncertainty of a guy about to get hitched. He and Roberts also have great chemistry. Cameron Diaz, still an up-and-coming star at this point, is very good as the energetic Kimmy. Diaz has always been known as an actress who will take chances, and even this early in her career, Diaz was willing to allow her character to be the butt of a joke by singing the worst karaoke ever put to film (and Kimmy is sober at the time). The real star of the show is Rupert Everett, who plays Julianne's partner-in-crime. He does offer her assistance in her extremely unethical mission, but he doesn't let her get off so easy. He causes a number of obstacles for Julianne himself, and is front and present in the film's standout scene: a meal with the wedding party that includes a lot of improvising from George and a sudden breakout of "I Say a Little Prayer for You." The film boasts a lot of fun scenes, but this one takes the cake.
Director P.J. Hogan directed the arthouse smash "Muriel's Wedding," which is unseen by me. He brings a sense of the offbeat (as far as offbeat can be in a major studio release) to the humor. The humor is kind of warped, but with the irresistible Roberts in the lead, it works. He's also has a firm sense of misdirection, something that has eclipsed many good filmmakers (credit must also be given to the terrific script by Ronald Bass). Hogan's sleight-of-hand also ventures into the tone. Even with Roberts as the lead, the film could have suffered from a split identity. Fortunately, that isn't the case; Hogan is able to keep the film light and frothy from beginning to end.
Not surprisingly, this was, and still is, a very popular and much beloved film (it opened at #2 at the box office when it was released, behind "Batman & Robin"). For those of you who haven't seen it, this is why you should. For those of you that have, this is why you should see it again.
Starring: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, Philip Bosco
Rated PG-13 for One Use of Strong Language and Brief Sex-Related Humor
On the surface, "My Best Friend's Wedding" appears to be a standard order romantic comedy. Some people who have seen it may think it actually is. But there is more going on here than initially meets the eye. It feels like it a traditional romantic comedy (a very good one, but a traditional one nonetheless), but there are some substantial differences. Most obvious is the unpredictability of the ending. In any kind of romance, the goal of the film is to bring two people together and allow them to fall in love. Because this requires a match of character, plot can be a detriment. We know they're going to meet, fall in love, break up, and get back together and live happily ever after. That's why we go to these movies. In "My Best Friend's Wedding," that may not be the case. This adds a new wrinkle onto what is already a sparkling confection.
Julianne (Roberts) is a food critic who has been best friends with Michael (Mulroney) since college. They dated, but Julianne dumped him. That didn't make much difference when they agreed that if they were both single at age 28, they would get married. As her editor, George (Everett), reminds her, she is 28, so when she gets urgent messages from Michael, she assumes that he's calling to honor their agreement. But that isn't the case. Michael met someone, the bubbly Kimmy (Diaz), and they're already planning on walking down the aisle...in four days. Now Julianne, realizing her mistake, is on a mission to break up the wedding and convince Michael to marry her instead.
Not only was casting Julia Roberts, one of the biggest stars at the time a good move financially, it was a stroke of genius from a storytelling perspective as well. Roberts is one of the most likable screen stars in history, with her big smile and warm demeanor. I don't think it's possible for her to play a complete bitch. Julianne does some really rotten things in this movie, but in order for the movie to work, we have to like her and root for her every step of the way. If that doesn't happen the movie falls flat on its face. With Roberts in the cast, the toughest obstacle for the movie is a success.
The supporting cast is also very good. Dermot Mulroney is more than a traditional hunk. He's definitely fetching; his smile is just as warm as Robert's, and he ably portrays the hope and uncertainty of a guy about to get hitched. He and Roberts also have great chemistry. Cameron Diaz, still an up-and-coming star at this point, is very good as the energetic Kimmy. Diaz has always been known as an actress who will take chances, and even this early in her career, Diaz was willing to allow her character to be the butt of a joke by singing the worst karaoke ever put to film (and Kimmy is sober at the time). The real star of the show is Rupert Everett, who plays Julianne's partner-in-crime. He does offer her assistance in her extremely unethical mission, but he doesn't let her get off so easy. He causes a number of obstacles for Julianne himself, and is front and present in the film's standout scene: a meal with the wedding party that includes a lot of improvising from George and a sudden breakout of "I Say a Little Prayer for You." The film boasts a lot of fun scenes, but this one takes the cake.
Director P.J. Hogan directed the arthouse smash "Muriel's Wedding," which is unseen by me. He brings a sense of the offbeat (as far as offbeat can be in a major studio release) to the humor. The humor is kind of warped, but with the irresistible Roberts in the lead, it works. He's also has a firm sense of misdirection, something that has eclipsed many good filmmakers (credit must also be given to the terrific script by Ronald Bass). Hogan's sleight-of-hand also ventures into the tone. Even with Roberts as the lead, the film could have suffered from a split identity. Fortunately, that isn't the case; Hogan is able to keep the film light and frothy from beginning to end.
Not surprisingly, this was, and still is, a very popular and much beloved film (it opened at #2 at the box office when it was released, behind "Batman & Robin"). For those of you who haven't seen it, this is why you should. For those of you that have, this is why you should see it again.
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