Rating: 
Summary: Great fun!
Review: I remember wanting to see this movie strictly due to a love of ABBA music, not knowing any of the actors in it. I thought it was great fun then, way before Toni Collette's fame in "The Sixth Sense" and Rachel Griffith's in "Six Feet Under." This fun flick is based in Australia, and as a big fan of British comedies, I was quickly drawn to it. The story of a slightly overweight young woman, just trying to fit in and in hopes of finding the man of her dreams intertwined with a quirky family and encounters with funky friends, make this quite the enjoyable film to watch!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully depressing crowd-pleaser!!!
Review: Muriel Heslop (the vibrant, energetic Toni Collette) is a hopeless romantic. She spends her days locked in her bedroom, listening to Abba songs and dreaming of the day she'll be able to put on a wedding dress. Her walls are covered with momentos of her two favorite things in life: posters of the singing group and pictures of brides-to-be. Part of her reason for living in a fantasy world is that her family life is so depressing. Her brothers and sisters spend all day lounging in front of the television. Her mother (Jeane Drynan) is oblivious to the goings-on around her, and her father (Bill Hunter) doesn't miss any opportunity to brand Muriel as "useless." In fact, he derides her as the most useless of his children. On top of that, her bitchy friends call her an embarrassment and announce that they don't want her accompanying them on a vacation. Muriel takes all this to heart and decides that the only way to change her life is to leave the town of Porpoise Spit and find a man. To this end, she follows her friends to the resort of Hibiscus Island. Once there, she encounters Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths), an old school chum. In this wild party girl, Muriel discovers something she has never before had -- a real friend, someone who actually cares about her. One of the most pleasant aspects of Muriel's Wedding is the distinctly unconventional third act. No one seeing this movie will confuse it with a Hollywood picture, as it continually flouts the "feel good" formulas that typically characterize this sort of romantic comedy. The ending is far-from-perfect, but it's a great deal better than several obvious alternatives. Nevertheless, parts of Muriel's Wedding are heavy-handed and, as a result, needlessly uncomfortable to view. There are times when director Paul Hogan (who will go on to helm My Best Friends Wedding) almost seems to enjoy belittling and degrading Muriel. While it's necessary to understand her low self-image, the director goes to excessive, almost-sadistic, lengths to get his point across. On these occasions, the film becomes a little difficult to endure. Balancing these moments are some high-energy scenes, including a wonderful lip-synch of Abba's "Waterloo" by Muriel and Rachel, Muriel trying on wedding dresses to the tune of "Dancing Queen", and an almost-sex scene featuring sofa cushions being unzipped instead of skirts. The soundtrack, featuring at least five Abba songs, is effectively energetic, and includes a Peter Best- arranged instrumental version of "Dancing Queen" performed by a full orchestra. Muriel's Wedding isn't a perfect comedy, tragedy, or drama, but it contains enough original elements of each to make it worth a look. As depressing as it can become, Muriel's Wedding is a crowd-pleaser. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't enjoy Abba's sugar coated tunes?
Rating:
Summary: A WONDERFUL film that deserves a better DVD.
Review: Muriel's Wedding is a movie I fell in love with when I first saw it years ago. The tale of Muriel is one EVERYONE can relate to on some level, being the outsider looking in. Muriel's life is surrounded by people who take advantage of her nature and belittle her for their own dissatisfaction. Muriel convinces herself that marriage will change her, make her accepted, and thus give her the acceptance she craves. Her realization that changing her world starts with changing herself is real, raw, and thoroughly enjoyable. It resonantes with individuality. Toni Collete is absolutely charming as Muriel. I can't BELIEVE she is the same woman who was in sixth sense...her talent is unbelievable! Collete embodies Muriel with many humanistic quirks that make her a real character and bring the film it's endearing nature. The DVD quality leaves a lot to be desired. I would KILL to have this released with commentary or outtakes. But, as it is, it's completely worth owning just because it can and should be watched whenever you need a feel good flick to pick up your spirits.
Rating:
Summary: Watch this movie, and then again, and again....
Review: This is one of my favorite movies that I can pop in on any given Saturday and watch for the ump-teenth time! At first viewing it is a typical quirky Aussie film with all the bizare characters and plot devices you've come to expect. On a closer viewing not only is it hilarious at every turn, it also depicts very real and very difficult true-life situations such as infidelity, cancer, and suicide. Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, The Boys) is almost unrecognizable (due to a self imposed significant weight gain) yet brilliant as Muriel- an ABBA and marriage obsessed "big boned" girl. Her family is basically worthless and detestable, despite her father pointing out Muriel as being the "loser" of the family. Rachel Griffiths (award winner for her role in Showtime's Six Feet Under) is outstanding as Muriel's one true ally. Their ABBA lip-sync is forever forefront in my mind whenever I hear Dancing Queen and/or Waterloo! This movie is just plain fun and well worth watching again, and again, and again! "Muriel! You're terrible!"
Rating: 
Summary: Modern Classic -- deserves better DVD treatment
Review: It's an ugly duckling story. Muriel is an unpopular girl living in a dingy town with highly dysfunctional family. She longs to escape her fate by listening to ABBA and dreaming about becoming the "Dancing Queen" wedding bride. Although it is stylized and takes place in Australia, the theme is universal. Instead of swimming in your misery, grow up and find your own life. This DVD, on the other hand, was released awhile ago and in need of better treatment. Although it is certainly serviceable, I found the images to be soft looking and audio a tad bright sounding. Give us an anamorphic video with remastered audio and some real extras (commentary track would be fun).
Rating:
Summary: Are you always the bride's maid and never the bride??
Review: The premise of this movie is that the main character, "Muriel" , finds release from her dysfunctional family and boring life by teaming up with a girl friend and moving into the "big city". She ends up answering an ad in the paper for what amounts to being a mail-order bride. I laughed, I cried and I sympathized through this entire movie. Her sad fascination with ABBA and their songs make for some extremely funny scenes in the movie. This is a chick flick to the Nth degree! I love it!
Rating:
Summary: Why wasn't I invited???
Review: Toni Collette is brilliant in this film about a lonesome girl who just wants to get married. Through the music of ABBA, she learns to love herself, and find the man of her dreams...in the strangest of places.
Rating:
Summary: Toni Collette is a treasure
Review: Toni Collette is one of the greatest actresses of our time. No matter what role she takes on, she transforms into that character. From this breakthrough film, to the Sixth Sense, to Clockwatchers, to About A Boy and her brilliant cameo in The Hours. This is what the craft of acting is all about. Toni Collette continues to delight us, make us laugh and cry. Thanks for all the great work, Toni.
Rating:
Summary: "Now my life's as good as an ABBA song"
Review: Muriel's Wedding is an Australian gem that perhaps suffers somewhat from being earmarked as a 'comedy'. Certainly there are plenty of laughs, but this film is no mere cheap and cheesy crowd-pleaser. As well as dealing with the insularity and cattiness of her hometown, Porpoise Spit, Muriel also must face the suicide of her mother and paralysing of her best friend. Yet, despite these tragedies, Muriel manages to come out on top, and at the same time strike a blow for anybody who has ever been snubbed by the in-crowd. The characterisation in the movie is brilliant, particularly that of Muriel's family of no-hopers. Hoping to shed the title of "useless" bestowed on her by her father, Muriel (Toni Collette) absconds with the family's savings to an island resort, where she meets vivacious, straight-talking Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths). Rhonda is the catalyst for Muriel to become a new person, but unfortunately Muriel takes her obsession with weddings one step too far and marries just for the sake of it. She thinks she has finally "made it", but comes to realise that there's more to life than public image. The soundtrack is a gloriously appropriate ABBA symphony, although both Dancing Queen and the film's original theme tune are over-utilised. It is surely partly due to ABBA's pleasant familiarity that it is so easy to become emotionally involved in the film, and the viewer will likely experience the whole gamut of feelings during its course. The finale, whilst upbeat, fortunately doesn't stumble into the realm of saccharine moralism (which so many filmmakers seem to think it is necessary to conclude with). Instead, we feel the triumph along with Muriel and Rhonda as they bid a raucous farewell to Porpoise Spit.
Rating:
Summary: Dysfunctional
Review: This is in my top 5 list of favorite movies. Fun, adorable, poignant, touching, endearing, hilarious. Dysfunction at its best.
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