Four Weddings and a Funeral

Rating:
Summary: "There's a sort of greatness to your lateness"
Review: Four Weddings and a Funeral is an extremely funny film. If the opening sequence doesn't make you laugh, nothing will. And conversely, if Matthew's moving rendition of W. H. Auden's "Stop all the clocks. . ." poem doesn't leave you close to tears, then you must be truly hard-hearted. Unfortunately though, what could have been an excellent comedy has a major flaw.

Charles (Hugh Grant) is a likeable chap whose friends are all getting married, leaving him as a sort of perpetual Best Man. Then American Carrie (Andie MacDowell) enters the picture and causes Charles to reassess his thoughts on marriage. Grant has charisma in spades, but sadly MacDowell does not. In fact, she is perhaps one of the least charismatic actresses ever. Not only that, but the limit of her acting ability seems to be a toothpaste-advertisement-style smile. Fortunately the casting of Charles's motley collection of single friends is excellent, and one can't help thinking he would be better off marrying one of them.

The film is almost fly-on-the-wall in its style, which gives it realism and allows it to explore the relationships within the group of friends on an intimate and everyday level. Hence the subtle humour works better than, for example, Rowan Atkinson's very obvious laugh-line attempts as a preacher with a penchant for Spoonerisms.

As one character notes, weddings have a habit of blending together in the memory and the director has played on this, creating four weddings that are visually similar and yet distinct. And of one of them is particularly memorable for the fact that it doesn't actually include a marriage ceremony. At its conclusion the film shows that whilst marriage is a noble institution, it is not for everybody.

Rating:
Summary: All the wrong reasons
Review: Four Weddings and A Funeral is, simply put, a hard-to-like movie.

Hugh Grant plays the character that he always does: a likeable Prince Charming who is down on his luck with romance and gets himself tangled up with things he can't handle. He hangs out with a circle of friends. They don't seem to do anything for a living. They go to weddings and that's about it.

Grant meets a character played by Andie McDowell, who is not likeable from her first frame. She is manipulative, unfaithful, cold, insensitive, and void of any cinematic charisma usually found in leading ladies who win Oscars.

Grant is looking for love. McDowell is already engaged to some dude far away. They sleep together. And the rest of the film, I suspect that the audience is supposed to pull for the couple to get together.

As you can see by my attitude, this stuff is as bad as Sleepless in Seattle. A romance seems to be brewing for all of the wrong and most irrational reasons, yet the audience roots for them to get together?

Needless to say, I wanted him to just dump her right at the beginning of the movie. That would have put an end to it sooner. But we all know that wouldn't happen, so the story just kept going and going, only to arrive at a really pathetic ending:

"Is it raining? I haven't noticed..."

These six words not only constitute McDowell's worst performance, but should also be a calling card to movie producers everywhere that she should not work in movies again. All in all, Four Weddings and a Funeral is nonsense romance with a cheap emotional jab in the middle with the funeral. The death of Grant's friend seems rather meaningless. But then again, lots of things in romantic comedies are meaningless.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre romance, but I love the movie anyway
Review: The Hugh Grant-Andie MacDowell relationship is tedious at best -- we're told there's instant chemistry, but I don't feel it, and their rush to the sack leaves me cold. However, the supporting storylines contain some of the funniest and most moving moments in modern comedy, more than enough to keep me watching, over and over again. But I keep my finger on the fast-forward button to get past the tiresome parts.

Rating:
Summary: 4 Weddings--What's the bid deal?
Review: I don't understand why this movie got so much hype. While I love to watch Andy McDowell and Hugh Grant, one viewing of this movie was plenty enough for me.

Rating:
Summary: Did not age well
Review: When I first saw this movie, in theaters, years ago, I enjoyed it. I liked the obvious comraderie shared by Charles' (Grant's) crowd. Watching the friends interact made you think of your own friends.
I bought it on DVD a couple years ago and watched it again recently...
What a disappointment. I found I couldn't get past my dislike of MacDowell's character. What a lousy character. She is manipulative, a phoney, a liar, and is just a bit too superficial and casual when it comes to relationships and sex (she's obviously marrying Hamisch for money- he owns "half of Scotland" and is "twice her age"...and oh, she's only slept with 33 men) as can be... I found it so hard to sympathize, to root for these two when they were so self-absorbed and confusing. And that ridiculous line at the end: Is it raining? I hadn't noticed..." Yuck.
Can't blame MacDowell- and I have to say, I usually like McDowell. I thought she was awesome in Sex, Lies & Videotape, Unstrung Heroes, and even Green Card. And you have to applaud the fact she is attractive even if she does not conform to the Hollywood standard of beauty. She is no size 4, and seems comfortable in her womanly figure.
Anyway- this time around even the friends seemed a little stale- a little too forced, although the funeral was a thoughtful and moving scene. But Grant whining about commitment, and MacDowell sending mixed signals...why would I ever care for these two screw-ups??
Anyway- it's an average movie- there are some great moments of comedy and they might even distract you from the leads, if you're lucky...

Rating:
Summary: For The Romantic In All Of Us
Review: "Four Weddings and a Funeral" is one of the few romantic comedies I appreciate. It's a lovable, hilarious look at the wackiness of love and weddings. Andie MacDowell and Hugh Grant are fine leads, though MacDowell's character is written rather weakly. There really isn't much for her to do, except perform the duties of "unrequited love interest". The other characters are very vivid, though. Hugh Grant truly shines in the role of his career as bumbling bachelor Charles, whose main characteristics consist of being late to weddings, stumbling over words, and fear of commitment to one woman. Grant is romantic and sympathetic without being coy, and I found myself falling in love along with Andie MacDowell! But the best part of the film is the supporting cast. I think it is responsible for the film's status as a comedy classic. Charlotte Coleman is perfect as fiery Scarlett, David Bower is hilarious as David, a bumbling bachelor like Charles, but lacking his suave charm, and Simon Callow is fondly memorable as flamboyant Gareth, perhaps the funniest of them all. My favorite performance, however, is that of Kristin Scott Thomas. As the icy, longing Fiona, she's an understated revelation. Director Mike Newell has called her performance the best of the film, and I agree. Scott Thomas is a great ensemble player (see "Gosford Park"), and here's hoping she lands another comedy soon.

There is a pitiful lack of special features on this DVD, but at half the price of most, it's still worth owning. A movie this fun doesn't need lots of extras to justify its purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Do you want your wife and servants seeing this film?
Review: As my mother once had to be cut from a car wreck due to another vehicle's irresponsible driver, I found the opening to this film less than amusing.
Am I behind the times or did anyone else find the fact that MacDowell's character was prepared to cheat on her fiance the night before her marriage repellent? Likewise, Grant's character's acceptance of this as perfectly normal behaviour? We are meant to go on finding these two promiscuous wretches cute. MacDowell then has the nerve to blame her husband for the failure of her marriage. Cringe.
I also find it odd that a gay man would want to give a speech in church when the 'good' book has hardly been welcoming towards homosexuality. The film then gets terribly maudlin over the fact that this man believes his life is no more because he will never meet another fat, loud, hairy man again. Er....
Now, before you say this review smacks of someone whose got out out of the wrong side of the bed this morning and hasn't had any lurve or sack action since we went decimal, I'd just like to say I have no bed and you can always pay for it. A clergy man in Acton once told me.

Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: I rented Four Weddings assuming it's reputation as the quintessential romantic comedy would guarantee I would enjoy it. I got out my pop corn and tissues, ready to be won over by Hugh and Andi...what an awful letdown.

I wanted to love this film, really I did, but it falls flat. The biggest problem is that I had no connection to Andi McDowell’s character at all, she comes off as cold and just mean. McDowell was great in "Green Card", but comes across all wrong here. Perhaps she needed more screen time to develop her character. Hugh Grant's standard stuttering-shy-guy routine is tired and unappealing this time around (although it won my heart without fail in other flicks).

There are some interesting things happening with Grant's circle of eclectic friends, but all that is pushed aside to chronicle Grant and McDowell’s relationship...which consists of chance meetings followed by a customary romp under the covers. I can't fathom how Grant's character falls in love with a woman he speaks to for ten minutes all together. The chemistry is just not there, and the ending is abrupt and unsatisfying.

Skip this movie, I wish I had!

When Harry Met Sally, Jerry McGuire, Circle of Friends, or Monsoon Wedding are excellent substitutes.

Rating:
Summary: The title pretty much covers it
Review: What does one's natural life consist of? You're born, you get married, you die. Weddings and funerals (and what happens during weddings and funerals) thus have special significance and meaning--so much so that this movie skips everything in between such as work and weekends and nevertheless manages to paint a lively and detailed portrait of a network of family and friendship, romance and relationship.

Four Weddings and a Funeral is set in the "best parts" of the U.K. and thus technically qualifies as a "foreign" flick even though it's in English and probably made with an American audience in mind. It stars Hugh Grant as the very eligible but slightly bumbling bachelor, and Andie McDowell as the more forward American with the engaging smile. They seem to have been made for their respective roles. This movie was a real treat for me. Prior to watching this, I was lamenting that there hadn't been a good romantic comedy since "When Harry Met Sally" . . . .

Rating:
Summary: alternate ending would have made this a 5-star rating
Review: Just watched this film for the third time, and my conclusion is the same as after my first viewing: the ending would have been much more satisfying if Charles ended up with Fiona (then I would have rated it a 5). She has more heart and honesty in her pinky than Carrie has in her whole body. I thought all of the other supporting actors/characters were wonderful as well.
Granted, Carrie is absolutely georgeous. But what else is so appealing about her? She's sarcastic (in reaction to some of Charles' honest and vulnerable moments), disloyal (to the man she supposedly loves by sleeping with Charles while engaged), egocentric & insensitive(encouraging and lapping up Charles' compliments one minute and marrying someone else the next)and greedy (checking out what people have bought her as wedding gifts). Not to mention promiscious (32 lovers -- hope Charles gets a blood test). Overall, a very unappealing character. Of course, that's the character as written. All the more reason for Charles to have chosen the better woman - Fiona.
I must admit that I don't care for Andie MacDowell as an actress. She's made many films, but her acting never seems natural to me. She always looks like she's acting (and preening), holding herself apart from the other characters, and never really connecting.