Four Weddings and a Funeral
3.5/4
Starring: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristen Scott Thomas, James Fleet. Simon Callow, John Hannah, Charlotte Coleman, David Bower, Rowan Atkinson
Rated R for Language and Some Sexuality
Weddings are considered to be the best day of a person's life (other than the birth of their children). I haven't been married nor do I suspect that I have kids, so I wouldn't know. But for those not in the immediate circle of the bride and groom, it can be awkward and downright depressing. I mean, there's having to make small talk with people you barely know (if at all). Or having to arrive on time at a function you'd rather not be at because you only kinda, sorta know the people involved. And dealing with their relatives and friends who are annoying, drunk, senile, or just as awkward as you are (probably a combination of all the above). And let's not forget the jealousy of being single when everyone else is in a relationship or in the throes of the temporary fantasy of one.
What makes "Four Weddings and a Funeral" so funny is that it knows these feelings. Most movies about weddings are about the bride and the groom. It's all sunshine and romance for them. This movie looks at the outside. It has an observer's perspective of the people who are usually given only token lines in wedding movies or are so insignificant that they're populated by the extras who are lucky to get a cold cut during the break. Most people get married at one point or another, but everyone has been in the middle pew surrounded by old ladies who are over dressed and wearing too much bland perfume. Or are sitting at a dinner table with people they either don't know and or do know and wish they didn't.
Such is the position that Charles (Grant) and his friends find themselves in. They get invited to so many weddings that they've formed their own little clique fueled by the hope for romance and bitterness at not finding it. Charles himself has had some girlfriends, but he's too picky and closed off for anyone to really stick around. Then he meets Carrie (MacDowell), a vibrant and sexy American who catches his eye (and his libido). Sadly, she goes back home after a wild night under the sheets. He continues to obsess over her until, surprise surprise, she shows up at another wedding. Only this time she's engaged...and he's still in love with her.
Hugh Grant turned into a romantic comedy icon after this movie, and it's no wonder. He's charming and sympathetic in a dorky sort of way (if he had any common sense, Charles would burn those dorky glasses and get contacts). He's in love with Carrie, he knows it and wants to say it, but is so afraid of being shot down that when he tries to tell her, he blows it. Luckily for him, Carrie finds him bashfully adorable in the same way we do. MacDowell (taking over from Marisa Tomei, who turned it down because of an illness in the family) is delightful and fetching, but she doesn't have as meaty of a role. Carrie is a figure of idolization for Charles, and the actress films that function nicely. We understand why Charles would lust for her.
The supporting characters are just fine. Simon Callow is a scene stealer as the exuberant Gareth, which is as it should be. Gareth is one of those people who is the life of the party; full of energy, drinking too much and eating too much, joyfully runs through the rules of decorum in ways we all wish we could. You know the type; there's one at every social gathering. John Hannah is his partner, who is half in love with and half in awe of Gareth. James Fleet is also quite good as Tom, who is very rich but more awkward than Charles. Rounding out the cast is Kristen Scott Thomas, who has always carried a torch for Charles (one she knows is not reciprocated), and hides her disappointment with cynicism and too much makeup. Special mention has to go to Rowan Atkinson, whose bumbling attempts at delivering the service had me howling.
If there's any disappointment with the film, it's the romance. Both Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell are delighful and have great chemistry, but that isn't capitalized on. They don't share enough scenes for us to believe that they are truly in love with each other. There's something there, sure, but it doesn't catch fire. I suppose it doesn't matter all that much, though. I mean, this movie is more about Charles and his obsession with Carrie, rather than Charles and Carrie as an item.
Director Mike Newell directs this film with a light touch, which is the right approach. He doesn't hammer home the hilarity. Rather, he lets it play out much as it might happen in real life. Like his characters, he's an observer of this milieu watching like the hires but largely ignored cameraman creating the videotape that no one will ever, ever watch. We see these characters much as we do any other person at a wedding we have somehow been invited to. They come, we say hi, we laugh at their lame jokes, learn what little they share about their private lives, and say goodbye.
Such is the case with weddings.
Starring: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristen Scott Thomas, James Fleet. Simon Callow, John Hannah, Charlotte Coleman, David Bower, Rowan Atkinson
Rated R for Language and Some Sexuality
Weddings are considered to be the best day of a person's life (other than the birth of their children). I haven't been married nor do I suspect that I have kids, so I wouldn't know. But for those not in the immediate circle of the bride and groom, it can be awkward and downright depressing. I mean, there's having to make small talk with people you barely know (if at all). Or having to arrive on time at a function you'd rather not be at because you only kinda, sorta know the people involved. And dealing with their relatives and friends who are annoying, drunk, senile, or just as awkward as you are (probably a combination of all the above). And let's not forget the jealousy of being single when everyone else is in a relationship or in the throes of the temporary fantasy of one.
What makes "Four Weddings and a Funeral" so funny is that it knows these feelings. Most movies about weddings are about the bride and the groom. It's all sunshine and romance for them. This movie looks at the outside. It has an observer's perspective of the people who are usually given only token lines in wedding movies or are so insignificant that they're populated by the extras who are lucky to get a cold cut during the break. Most people get married at one point or another, but everyone has been in the middle pew surrounded by old ladies who are over dressed and wearing too much bland perfume. Or are sitting at a dinner table with people they either don't know and or do know and wish they didn't.
Such is the position that Charles (Grant) and his friends find themselves in. They get invited to so many weddings that they've formed their own little clique fueled by the hope for romance and bitterness at not finding it. Charles himself has had some girlfriends, but he's too picky and closed off for anyone to really stick around. Then he meets Carrie (MacDowell), a vibrant and sexy American who catches his eye (and his libido). Sadly, she goes back home after a wild night under the sheets. He continues to obsess over her until, surprise surprise, she shows up at another wedding. Only this time she's engaged...and he's still in love with her.
Hugh Grant turned into a romantic comedy icon after this movie, and it's no wonder. He's charming and sympathetic in a dorky sort of way (if he had any common sense, Charles would burn those dorky glasses and get contacts). He's in love with Carrie, he knows it and wants to say it, but is so afraid of being shot down that when he tries to tell her, he blows it. Luckily for him, Carrie finds him bashfully adorable in the same way we do. MacDowell (taking over from Marisa Tomei, who turned it down because of an illness in the family) is delightful and fetching, but she doesn't have as meaty of a role. Carrie is a figure of idolization for Charles, and the actress films that function nicely. We understand why Charles would lust for her.
The supporting characters are just fine. Simon Callow is a scene stealer as the exuberant Gareth, which is as it should be. Gareth is one of those people who is the life of the party; full of energy, drinking too much and eating too much, joyfully runs through the rules of decorum in ways we all wish we could. You know the type; there's one at every social gathering. John Hannah is his partner, who is half in love with and half in awe of Gareth. James Fleet is also quite good as Tom, who is very rich but more awkward than Charles. Rounding out the cast is Kristen Scott Thomas, who has always carried a torch for Charles (one she knows is not reciprocated), and hides her disappointment with cynicism and too much makeup. Special mention has to go to Rowan Atkinson, whose bumbling attempts at delivering the service had me howling.
If there's any disappointment with the film, it's the romance. Both Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell are delighful and have great chemistry, but that isn't capitalized on. They don't share enough scenes for us to believe that they are truly in love with each other. There's something there, sure, but it doesn't catch fire. I suppose it doesn't matter all that much, though. I mean, this movie is more about Charles and his obsession with Carrie, rather than Charles and Carrie as an item.
Director Mike Newell directs this film with a light touch, which is the right approach. He doesn't hammer home the hilarity. Rather, he lets it play out much as it might happen in real life. Like his characters, he's an observer of this milieu watching like the hires but largely ignored cameraman creating the videotape that no one will ever, ever watch. We see these characters much as we do any other person at a wedding we have somehow been invited to. They come, we say hi, we laugh at their lame jokes, learn what little they share about their private lives, and say goodbye.
Such is the case with weddings.
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