Rating: 
Summary: an uplifting drama - not a laugh-riot comedy
Review: Watching 'Muriel's Wedding' it's incredible to think that I ever considered this flick a comedy. Instead, it's one of those extremely off-beat Australian dramas that's so outright weird, it looks hysterical, but isn't. Muriel is a loser ' we learn that much in the first scene. Big and unloved, she goes to weddings in clothes she shoplifts, and is isolated by just about everybody (except the cops ' somehow, being Muriel, it's just her luck that the clerk of the store she stole from was also a guest). Her family life is a quiet hell ' her father is a local developer and political figure in their sun-baked coastal town of 'Porpoise Spit', though it's clear that his life is one of bitterness. (By the end of the film, we learn that Muriel's father was an also-ran in national politics, a failure that he's passed onto his family which is cowed into timidity by his relentless verbal abuse.) Muriel hangs onto two dreams ' one of which has to do with singing and dancing to ABBA, while the other involves getting married'to somebody. Hungry for friends, Muriel steals from her father so she can afford to join them on a trip to Hibiscus Island (they are not pleased to see her). She also meets Rhonda, a much sexier and adventurous type played by a pre-'Six Feet Under' Rachel Griffiths. The two bond and Muriel comes alive for the first time in her life. Muriel also finds she can't go back home because her father is being indicted for the money Muriel stole. Setting herself up in Sydney with Rhonda (and not telling Rhonda the truth about why she left home) Muriel finds she likes life outside of her shell. She also finds ways to satisfy her dream of being a bride w/o getting married ' being feted by wedding stores whose owners treat potential customers to a preview of The-Big-Day. When Rhonda is paralyzed by a spinal tumor, Muriel puts her dreams aside in order to care for her friend, al but resigned to the idea that she will never be a bride. Fate steps in when the day comes that somebody pops her the question, and gives her the opportunity to complete the transformation into something she never thought she could be: married.In commercials, 'Muriel' was pushed as a sort of dark comedy. Instead, it's rather dispiriting drama ' the story of how Muriel will elevate herself from a life of emotional abuse into a fully-formed character. Arrest, cancer and suicide punctuate the darker points of the story. But the story is never gratuitously grim or sappy. Muriel's father is an ogre, and her mother flattened into timidity, but the story humanizes them both (him more than her, oddly enough). The moral of the story is centered around Muriel and Rhonda, and whether Muriel will let her dreams of marriage get in the way of her friendship. It's a simple message, but the script and the players walk it well. In short, if you loved 'Strictly Ballroom' and anything by Peter Weir, you'll love this flick. If you're looking for an uncomplicated comedy, walk a different aisle.
Rating: 
Summary: A favorite movie!
Review: This was my introduction to the ultra talented Toni Collette as well as 6 Feet Under's star Rachel Griffith. These two play outsiders who find friendship and acceptance away from their smalltown where neither ever really fit in. A different kind of coming of age and growing up story it has tragedy blended seamlessly with comedy and true drama. I have spent a fair amount of time in Australia and was in Melbourne in the 1970s when ABBA was on tour and every woman in Australia of a certain age loves that band with a devotion not seen anywhere else. The music of Muriel's life is this happy upbeat soundtrack that promises love and joy- something Muriel wants more than anything. Best line is when she tells her friend that since she met her she has not needed to listen to ABBA because her life is better than Dancing Queen. A triumphant victory of human spirit and a must for all fans of truly great chick flicks!
Rating:
Summary: JUST GREAT!
Review: This is the cutest most fun ~girl power~ movie i have seen! i saw it when it first came out quite by accident my dad rented it for me! and i fell in love i watch it whenever i get the chance! if you dont like this movie then i dont know what to say! "muriel is a total dork that you wouldnt be friends with except for the fact you feel like you have know her since first grade".........you cant help but love her and think YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH when she gets thing on the right path!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Dreams can come true if you're true to your self
Review: Our heroine Muriel, dumpy, suburban, open, guileless, trusting, who has a corrupt Dad, an oppressed Mum, two siblings who are variously lazy and stupid, falls in love with and marries her dream "man" - what else but a white, blue-eyed blonde South African born swimming champion who is the quintessence of selfishness, self aggrandisement, vanity, and shallowness - but finds "true" love in friendship with her crippled buddy played superbly by Rachel Griffith. Some stupendous and memorable moments, one being when Muriel's mother sets fire to her backyard with its Hills Hoist in its centre. Funny, touching, and great feel good movie. Peopled by some terrific characters. The ABBA scene is a gem! One to own and revisit.
Rating: 
Summary: An uplifting tragi-comedy
Review: It is a distinct characteristic of Australian new wave cinema that it can deliver this unusual melange of comedy and tragedy with an uplifting final inspirational message. Against a backdrop of family dysfunction featuring a philandering small town politican as a father, a chronically depressed mother, and emotionally incapacitated siblings, Muriel temporarily escapes the clutches of her suffocating existence in Porpoise Spit. It is only after she returns, when her mother is driven to a thinly veiled suicide, that Muriel musters the will to shake off both her father's grip and her marriage of convenience to a glamorous South African champion swimmer. The sense of irony and palpable closeness you feel to the characters coupled with several insertions of music from ABBA ensure that this movie lapses neither into slapstick nor dark comedy. A true Australian cinematic gem!
Rating:
Summary: An Inspirational Gem
Review: This movie should be shown as therapy to someone who might be suffering from low self esteem. Muriel is a wonderful character I am sure a lot of people can relate to. There are a lot of reviews here that already explain what the movie is about, so I'll skip that. If you need a feel good movie, this is it. I promise it will rank among your favorite films after you see it.
Best Scene: the ending of the film when Muriel comes back to Porpoise Spit to claim her best friend. They tell the popular girls off and head for the taxi. The song "Dancing Queen" is playing during this scene. It is very uplifting as both girls finally say goodbye to Porpoise Spit.
Rating:
Summary: Muriel Heslop
Review: I don't know, but I saw this movie on the Oxygen Network and I fell in love with it. You want to feel bad for Muriel/Mariel, but at the same time you're really happy for her for realizing that she's not the bad person everyone around her thinks. Really good movie, but I could not believe how cold and heartless "bill the battler" was to his children. A really big disgrace.
Rating:
Summary: Great watch!
Review: Great ABBA score. This Australian gal tries to lift up out of her drudgery of home life, and no longer be Muriel. She wants to be Mariel. Wonderful movie. Makes you appreciate yourself and the things that you have.
You're terrible Muriel...
Rating:
Summary: Aussie chicks rule
Review: Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths and ABBA and a great ensemble cast have fun with a great script. Love it!
Rating:
Summary: Round up the chick posse for movies and dinner
Review: Chick flicks don't necessarily have to be let's beat up people. I never saw it in the 90's. I have at least seen this movie over 8 times, and gets better and better. Porpoise Spit most people who are honest with themselves had those experiences in their lives. This is an ugly duckling kind of movie. Toni Collete's character went from Muriel to Mariel to self acceptance. Muriel lived her life to ABBA songs. Her personal soundtrack of her life. Trying to fit in with the pretty(shallow girls). Rachel Griffith's character was a party girl, but a good friend. Muriel's dad was an abusive man. Bill Hesslop "Can't stop progress". I felt sorry for Muriel's mom who committed suicide because of her husband's blatant affair. Also Mariel was so caught up in her nuptials, the one person who should be a part of it, was left out her mom. Despite this, this is still a wonderful movie a good laugh, cry and cheering for both Muriel and Rhonda. These ladies went through some really interesting twists and turns in one's life. I bought the ABBA greatest hits because of the movie. The Waterloo song rocks!!
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