Four
Weddings And A Funeral Deluxe Edition (1994)
MGM
Cast:
Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow.
Rating:
R.
Run
time: 118 mins.
Genre:
Comedy
Verdict:
Brilliant
(see rating
system)
Hugh
Grant toiled for years in near anonymity making European art
films before this hilarious comedy propelled him to international
stardom overnight.
Made
on a shoestring budget with an ensemble cast of British character
actors, the movie hit all the right comic notes as it told
the story of a group of friends seemingly spending every weekend
going to a wedding together. It didn't hurt that the title
music by Wet Wet Wet - Love is All Around - became a smash
hit.
Charles
(Grant) is late again for a wedding - and he's the best man.
He makes it to the groom's side with seconds to go, then realizes
with horror he's forgotten the ring. Fortunately his circle
of close friends - Tom (James Fleet), Matthew (John Hannah),
Gareth (Simon Callow), Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Scarlett
(Charlotte Coleman) are able to improvise a replacement.
The
wedding is also notable for the presence of an American guest,
the gorgeous model Carrie (Andie MacDowell), with whom Charles
is instantly smitten. However, being a shy Englishman he doesn't
much rate his chances.
Surprisingly,
Carrie and Charles do get together later that night, but their
subsequent relationship proves brief and frustrating and Charles
despairs of ever finding true love - and attending his own
wedding.
Screenwriter
Richard Curtis (Love Actually), based the movie on many of
his own awful wedding experiences and there are classic embarrassing
moments from meeting old girlfriends and terrible best man
speeches to the happy couple sneaking off for a brief encounter
in a hotel room during the reception. Watch out for a funny
cameo from Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) as a scared priest conducting
his first wedding.
Nicely
directed by Mike Newell and featuring some surprisingly tender,
even tragic, moments among the knockabout comedy, this is
one of the best comedy movies of the 1990s.
The
deluxe edition features several featurettes on the making
of the film plus some deleted scenes.
