B

I liked it for the performances and more importantly the story. The musical bits and pieces go on for far too long, and interfere with the pace of the story itself. At a 112 minutes, there was definitely time for some culling. So any time the movie didn't follow Kym, the film started to choke.

The dish washing scene was very cringe worthy.

A fantastic movie. Rachel Getting Married completely absorbs you and makes you feel as if you are present at Rachel's wedding and wedding rehearsal. It's truly one of the most heartfelt movies I have seen lately. Jenny Lumet's screenplay is excellent. It's touching, funny and full of life. All the characters feel genuine. Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin and Debra Winger all shine here. Also, the shaky cam and Demme's direction in general is brilliant. It's a pity that it hasn't been getting any awards attention. Personally, I think this is the best movie of the year. A

Anne Hathway gives a remarkable turn as Kym, a recovering drug addict who is trying to drive away the memories of a tragedy from years ago. Hathaway is not the sole focus of the film, but she displays an incredible talent we have never really seen before. Behind Hathaway is a strong supporting cast with Rosmarie DeWitt, and Debra Winger, all of whom do an excellent job illustrating the explicit struggles of a dysfunctional family. The story is rather plain, just a family trying to reconnect after being tore apart by a terrible event. However the talented hand of Jonathan Demme illuminates the story in a brilliant light, he does not waste time, and despite the simplistic story the 111 minute running time is well deserved. The writing of Jenny Lumet is rather melodramatic at certain moments, and occasionally unrealistic, but the POV camera and the terrific performances outshine these mild flaws creating a very poignant and often entertaining film that is consistently absorbing, and always involving.
8.5/10

I enjoyed this film very much.

What I find interesting is the film's structure. I think the best way to get at it is by doing a play on the title: Rachel Getting Married as both signifying the event itself (the marriage ceremony), and what the event means to the family (that is, what the state of family relations are).

The marriage ceremony is entirely a surface matter, and insistently so. It unabashedly and nauseatingly embraces diversity, of cultures, traditions, races, music etc. but it denies anyone the possibility of reading the gathering negatively; that is, the notion of all these various people being together in one place is cause for celebration, even at the source of it, and nothing else. This makes sense; these people have not been forced together; they have come together of their own volition, to celebrate the realization of the most important decision in the lives of two people from different backgrounds whose difference is (to them and their loved ones) a good thing. None of their relatives disapprove of the union. This celebratory attitude is, if anything, striking in its uniformity. Perhaps naively, this speaks to the changing social fabric of America. I think, however, that the unabashed show of unity surrounding the marriage ceremony serves better yet as a contrast to the division within the Buchman family unit caused by Ethan, the dead son whose absence denies the two families the possibility of an unadulterated and completely harmonious union.

I appreciate the way the narrative gradually reveals the layers of tension within the family. The film begins with Kym as the central source of tension; soon enough, the tension shifts to between the two siblings, and the father becomes involved (peripherally, I think) as well; finally, it is the mother who is placed at the centre of it all, both because of Kym's implication that she (the mother) was somehow responsible for Ethan's death (by way of negligence not only in placing Ethan in Kym's care, but because she clearly did not help Kym during her troubled adolescence), and also because of the mother's refusal to be reconciled with her daughters. I think the film gives us enough hints to suggest that Rachel has been as neglected by her mother as Kym has been, and that Ethan's loss has lead Abby (the mother) to lose her two daughters as well.

Abby's remove from the celebration (both during the preparations for the ceremony, and during the wedding) is a clear sign of her emotional distance from her daughters. That Kym and Rachel have reconciled at the end is clear enough, and Kym's yearning call for her father, whom she observes from outside the window at the end, and her acceptance of Kieran's (the best man's) offer of continuing contact suggests a break from her isolation, but I would argue that such hopeful messages should be received with caution. What I find most striking, in the end, is that Abby's inability to break from her own isolation (she cannot even touch her daughters' hands) tempers the overwhelming show of unity the wedding ceremony is meant to signify. Even under the most welcoming circumstances, not everyone is able to participate in the celebration.

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (2008)

Filmed documentary style, this intimate portrait of family dysfunction works because of its script (the dialogue is intelligent and natural) and wonderful performances by Anne Hathaway and Rosemarie DeWitt. Anne plays against type and does a terrific job, and I was incredibly drawn to Rosemarie's natural presence. I seriously wanted to hug this woman! There was just something about her. Definitely one of my favorite supporting turns of the year. It never felt like she was acting. In fact, the whole movie felt like I was eavesdropping on a real family. Oddly enough, while Hathaway is undoubtedly great, it's DeWitt's subtly haunting performance that I can't get out of my mind.

My only real complaint is the non-stop presence of the wedding band. It really got to me towards the end when we had to endure an excessive amount of scenes of the band playing and people dancing. It had to have been a good ten minutes, and this could have easily been excised. Nobody is going to want to watch this. I fail to see the point. I just wanted them to get on with it already.

I feel some more editing could have created a much stronger film as a whole. Other than what I already mentioned, there was a "loading the dishwasher" race scene that I felt went on a little too long, and if it weren't for the powerful outcome of this scene I'd have wished it were removed altogether. But there are indeed some great scenes to be found in this movie. I loved, and was moved by a particular scene of Rachel (DeWitt) bathing Kym (Hathaway). So simple, so beautiful. Then there's the startling revelation of the "incident" at Kym's meeting, and the scene discussing said incident in the living room.

Overall, I thought it was pretty great. I kind of can't get it out of my head. It's certainly not perfect and it's one a lot of people will hate, but I'd definitely recommend it.

One more thing - I loved the way it was filmed. I've become a pretty big fan of this style of filmmaking for smaller, more intimate films. I really can't imagine this movie working as well and feeling so authentic had it been filmed any other way. It gives us the effect of watching a home video, and I thought it worked flawlessly.

Grade: 8/10 (A-)

I like it. Maybe eight points.