The British romantic comedy has become a favorite genre of mine in recent years. Hugh Grant has become a favorite actor. Andie MacDowell has become a favorite actress. This movie, the one that kicked off the craze that led to About a Boy, Love Actually, and Bend It Like Beckham- a couple favorites and a soccer movie I like well-enough- is a perfectly charming template for the genre of dry English wit and light romance, but it's not quite a favorite.
Charles' (Hugh Grant) friends are getting married. Each wedding seems to bring another couple together, while he stays put in relationship limbo. Complicating matters is a vexing American, Carrie (Andie MacDowell) who somehow shows up to... Four Weddings and a Funeral. The rest follows the basic When Harry Met Sally outline, two acquaintances slowly learning that they love each other.
The difference, and what sets Mike Newell's film apart, is its very British sensibilities. That's the real charm of Four Weddings. Hugh Grant is in his nascent stage as the bumbling toff, and while his performance doesn't have quite the complexity of later roles, where he was funnier and more believably vulnerable, it's still quintessential Hugh Grant. I'm a fan of that. The supporting roles, as in other Richard Curtis-written films, are quite rich. Solid British character actors, as always, in some funny, quirky roles. It's always a delight to see Rowan Atkinson pop up in a movie and his big scene may be the best in the whole film. As a palette cleanser to all the tea and crumpets, Andie MacDowell does her job, although the character is a weak spot. There is so little in the way of background for Carrie, that you can almost imagine Charles' friends simply taking her out of storage just to attend weddings. Andie MacDowell is a special actress though, so effortlessly sparkling it's like she doesn't realize she's an actress at all. She salvages a lot from Carrie.
The film hits every emotional beat you expect a well-made rom-com to hit: humor, romance, melancholy, sadness, inspiration, and finally joy, but Four Weddings and a Funeral is only basically moving. I like Hugh Grant. I like Andie MacDowell. I want to see them get together. They get together. By that measure, the movie is a success. I don't discount that it's also a real chuckle-inducer and tear-conjurer. But it's just on that first level that the movie works. I don't believe Four Weddings and a Funeral has much real to say about love and relationships. It tells us that you should only marry someone you're fully, completely in love with. On that I agree, but let's be real, this is not a profound observation. Four Weddings and a Funeral gets by on charm. Lots of 90s, British, jolly-good charm.
76/100.
Charles' (Hugh Grant) friends are getting married. Each wedding seems to bring another couple together, while he stays put in relationship limbo. Complicating matters is a vexing American, Carrie (Andie MacDowell) who somehow shows up to... Four Weddings and a Funeral. The rest follows the basic When Harry Met Sally outline, two acquaintances slowly learning that they love each other.
The difference, and what sets Mike Newell's film apart, is its very British sensibilities. That's the real charm of Four Weddings. Hugh Grant is in his nascent stage as the bumbling toff, and while his performance doesn't have quite the complexity of later roles, where he was funnier and more believably vulnerable, it's still quintessential Hugh Grant. I'm a fan of that. The supporting roles, as in other Richard Curtis-written films, are quite rich. Solid British character actors, as always, in some funny, quirky roles. It's always a delight to see Rowan Atkinson pop up in a movie and his big scene may be the best in the whole film. As a palette cleanser to all the tea and crumpets, Andie MacDowell does her job, although the character is a weak spot. There is so little in the way of background for Carrie, that you can almost imagine Charles' friends simply taking her out of storage just to attend weddings. Andie MacDowell is a special actress though, so effortlessly sparkling it's like she doesn't realize she's an actress at all. She salvages a lot from Carrie.
The film hits every emotional beat you expect a well-made rom-com to hit: humor, romance, melancholy, sadness, inspiration, and finally joy, but Four Weddings and a Funeral is only basically moving. I like Hugh Grant. I like Andie MacDowell. I want to see them get together. They get together. By that measure, the movie is a success. I don't discount that it's also a real chuckle-inducer and tear-conjurer. But it's just on that first level that the movie works. I don't believe Four Weddings and a Funeral has much real to say about love and relationships. It tells us that you should only marry someone you're fully, completely in love with. On that I agree, but let's be real, this is not a profound observation. Four Weddings and a Funeral gets by on charm. Lots of 90s, British, jolly-good charm.
76/100.