Rachel Getting Married
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Movie Reviews of Rachel Getting Married
Movie Review: Hathaway Excels in a Fierce Drama About Coming Home and Facing Demons
Summary: 4 Stars
Sitting through a movie about sibling rivalry at a wedding, especially one starring the doe-eyed and normally facile Anne Hathaway, sounds like a potentially painful way to spend an evening. However, as directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Jenny Lumet (daughter of master filmmaker Sidney Lumet), this 2008 drama is not a lightweight star vehicle à la Julia Roberts circa 1997 but a darkly realistic look at the dysfunction within a family thrown into disarray. Using an almost cinéma vérité style, Demme explores how a wedding reopens old wounds within a family in a naturalistic way made all the more palpable by the emotional acuity in Lumet's screenplay.
The focus is on Kym, a chain-smoking former model who has spent the last several months in rehab. As a substance abuser whose only armor is cutting sarcasm, she is absurdly hopeful that her sister Rachel's wedding will be a harbinger for unconditional love from her upscale Connecticut family. Therein lies the problem as her narcissism provides the catalyst for long-simmering tensions that uncork during the preparations for a lavish, Indian-themed wedding weekend (the movie's working title was "Dancing with Shiva"). It soon becomes clear that Kym's link to a past tragedy is at the core of the unpredictable dynamics that force confrontations and regrettable actions among the four principal family members. Rachel appears to be Kym's sensible opposite, but their alternately close and contentious relationship shows how they have not fully recovered from past resentments. Their remarried father Paul is a bundle of loving support to the point of unctuous for both his girls, while their absentee mother Abby is the exact opposite - guarded and emotionally isolated until she is forced to face both her accountability and anger in one shocking moment.
Anne Hathaway is nothing short of a revelation as Kym. Instead of playing the role against the grain of her screen persona, she really shows what would happen if one of her previous characters - say, Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada - went another route entirely. The actress' studiousness and persistence are still very much in evidence, but the story allows her to use these traits under the guise of a self-destructive, often unlikable addict who gains attention through her outrageous self-absorption. As the put-upon title character, Rosemarie DeWitt realistically shows Rachel's sense of pain and resentment as the attention veers to Kym during plans for the most important day of her life. Bill Irwin is winning as the unapologetically grateful Paul, but it's really Debra Winger who steals her all-too-brief scenes by bringing the remote character of Abby to life. Now in her early fifties, the famously tempestuous actress seems to rein in her innate fieriness to play a woman who consciously disconnects herself from the family she raised. What remains is a crumbling façade of propriety masking this obvious gap. It's similar to Mary Tyler Moore's turn as the cold mother in Ordinary People, but casting the normally vibrant Winger (who probably would have played Kym a quarter century ago) is a masterstroke.
The film is not perfect. Demme's home-video approach, while novel at first, proves wearing over the 114-minute running time. Pacing is also a problem, especially when the focus turns to the minutiae of the wedding ceremony and reception. I wish Demme could have cut this part of the film, so we could get to the icy, unfinished resolution sooner. As a filmmaker who obviously enjoys making music concert films (Stop Making Sense, Neil Young - Heart of Gold), there are quite a few musical performances presented in total. However, for non-aficionados, it may prove too much over time. While it's refreshing to see interracial marriages treated so casually (Lumet's grandmother is legend Lena Horne), Demme makes almost too big a point in presenting a global community though the diverse music and the wedding's multi-cultural themes. The movie starts to feel like a Putumayo collection of third-world performances. Still, Demme's intentions can't be faulted, and neither can the piercing work of Hathaway and Winger.
Movie Review: Not without its flaws, but far too valuable to disregard because of them...
Summary: 4 Stars
At the core of `Rachel Getting Married' is a beautifully rough portrait of family interactions and the bitter sweet reunion that comes when we all just can't seem to get along. I feel almost torn in my review here because the more I think about the film the more I realize that it hits so close to home it's not even funny. The character descriptions here feel like portraits out of my own photo album; from the rehab frequenting sister to the heartbroken father trying to protect the ones he loves to the jilted sibling trying to enjoy their turn in the spotlight.
Oh god, does that make me Rachel?
Okay, so all bias aside (I tend to find a warm spot for films that I can relate to) this is not a perfect film and so I can't treat it as such. Like I said, at its core it is pure and beautiful; but the outskirts of the film could have used some trimming.
First, as an overview, I'll reign in on the films subject. Kym is the dysfunctional family member who is taking a leave from rehab to attend her sisters wedding. She's been sober for nine months, but the pain of seeing her family again and that feeling of isolated outcasting may very well send her back into using. She has a lot of baggage to overcome and the problem is that this is her sister's moment and she can't help but steal it. Her father is overly concerned, her mother isn't concerned enough and her sister is surrounded by people (not to mention memories) that make it hard for her to sympathize. She feuds with everyone and creates more drama than necessary because its hard for her to confront the fact that this isn't about her.
I know this girl all too well.
It's funny because as I watch `Rachel Getting Married' I tend to side with Kym and secretly plead for everyone around her to cut her some slack, and then I realize that I am the male equivalent to Rachel and wholeheartedly understand when she utters the words "I hate her". I get it; I've been there. Watching Paul (their father) struggle to find that balance between caring for his `good' daughter and defending his `delinquent' daughter was like staring at my father as he tried to convince me my very own sister was `changing'. It was such a reality check to watch him crumble and realize that my very own father went through that (and still does).
My only issue with this film is that it spends a lot of time on trivial issues. The whole first section of the film takes a bit to get started, with the speeches that drag on and on, one after the other. I see the connection to Kym's therapy meeting (I don't know if that was intentional, but I felt it was) but there came a point where I was like "give Kym the mic, let her ruin everything, lets move on". After that scene (and actually during Kym's awkwardly amazing speech) the film picks up and keeps moving at a splendid pace until the wedding nuptials are over and the musical sequences begin, and keep going. Again, it was just too much of something that wasn't important.
That said, when it hits it right it does it wonderfully; with a fully realized script complete with stellar character development (amongst the main family members that is) and some sublime performances. Anne Hathaway is beyond brilliant as the confused and conflicted Kym. I was so proud of her ability to evoke our sympathies without ever manipulating them. We see every flaw she possesses and she has no qualms about exposing them to us. She makes us love Kym regardless of how unlovable she is. Rosemarie DeWitt is the epitamy of marvelous as Rachel, balancing out her unwavering love with her earned selfishness. This is her day, her moment and she deserves to have all the attention. Debra Winger has a stellar cameo (I just LOVE this woman) and the passion she bleeds into her scenes is undeniable. Personally, I think best in show honors should go to Bill Irwin, who just nails Paul. He captures every ounce of the pain and suffering that comes from being a parent.
I'm not saying children are a curse, but love is the most painful feeling known to man.
I do wish that we would have been able to know Kieran (a surprisingly warm and gentle Mather Zickel) and especially Sidney, Rachel's fiancé; but the films primary focus is Kym adjustment to her family's conception of her, and with that as a focus the film excels. So, I do highly recommend this movie. It can be hard to take at times, especially if your family is dysfunctional, but it is worth the ride.
Movie Review: "I'm Shiva the destroyer, and I am your harbinger of doom for the evening ...!!" (says Rachel's sister Kym).
Summary: 4 Stars
I usually don't go out of my way to see a film with the word "wedding" in the title. I have absolutely nothing against weddings. I just don't enjoy the typical, cliched family dramas surrounding nuptials. There are exceptions. I really loved "Four Weddings and A Funeral," and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." When I saw that "Rachel's Getting Married" had come out in rentals, I took a chance. I had heard so many good things about the film. So, I figured, why not? I must say I am not sorry at all. This is a really good, and most unconventional movie.
Yes, it involves a dysfunctional family, (don't they all?), but there's lots of edgy humor, a cast which includes people of almost every ethnicity on earth, and extraordinary music - world music, jazz, rock, heavy metal, Brazilian sambas, and a few cuts which are impossible to categorize. The eclectic musical score suits, as the bride, Rachel, (played by Rosemarie DeWitt), a Caucasian, is marrying Sidney, (Tunde Adebimpe), an African American musician and record producer, and the wedding theme is Indian, with the bride and her court dressed in saris. Jenny Lumet wrote the screenplay, and director Jonathan Demme, ("The Silence of the Lambs"), obviously encouraged his cast to be spontaneous. Apparently, he chose not to plan shots in advance to add to the spontaneity. I am sure there is much ad libbing involved, especially during scenes from the rehearsal dinner, a myriad of speeches and toasts to bride and groom, (some rather bizarre), and the dancing at the wedding reception. Cinematographer Declan Quinn effectively shoots the movie with a handheld digital camera, which bobs through the partially improvised scenes, lending a sense of chaos and the realism of a homemade movie.
Anne Hathaway, as Kym, plays a recovering addict who, after nine months in rehab, returns to her Connecticut home for her sister Rachel's wedding. Ms. Hathaway's wonderful performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The chain-smoking, self-absorbed Kym, complains, after a few hours back in the family fold, "Everyone in the house is looking at me like I am a sociopath!" "What do they expect me to do, burn the house down?" Well yeah...maybe. Kym has a long and tragic history of unfortunate accidents while under the influence of - you name it. With her short, choppy hair cut, and black eyeliner, she throws frequent tantrums. During one, she demands that her sister's best friend step down as maid of honor and cede the place to her. Her wedding toast to the happy couple begins with: "I'm Shiva the destroyer, and I am your harbinger of doom for the evening ...!!" Oy!!! But, this is Rachel's time in the sun. The focus should be on the her and not the disturbed younger sister. It takes a while for the viewer to realize just how disturbed and damaged Kym is.
The sisters, who obviously love each other very much, fight over the attention of their nurturing, peacekeeping father, (Bill Irwin), and their distant mother Abby, (Debra Winger, who is outstanding in the part). There is an exceptional scene between Hathaway and Winger, which is one of the best and most explosive mother daughter interactions I have seen on film or in the theater. The parents are divorced and both have remarried, which adds more tension to the mix.
The ensemble cast gives performances of the highest caliber. The characters they play become people we care about. The viewer sees these people at their worst and at their best. This is an exceptionally good, rich family drama. A must see, especially for those who enjoy edgy Indies.
Jana Perskie
Movie Review: Self-Consciously Idiosyncratic Style, but Strong Performances.
Summary: 4 Stars
"Rachel Getting Married" is director Jonathan Demme's first attempt at an "independent film", and I must say it is a self-conscious attempt, but the script by Jenny Lumet creates a strong lead character, realized by Anne Hathaway in an Oscar-nominated performance. Kym (Anne Hathaway) has been in and out of rehab for substance dependency for a decade. She gets a weekend hiatus from her current stint to attend her sister's wedding. So she arrives at her father's (Bill Irwin) Connecticut home, full of strangers who will take part in the Indian-themed wedding, wound up and on the defensive, ready to revel in the role of the family's black sheep. It doesn't take Kym long to pick a fight with sister Rachel (Rosemary DeWitt), and it looks like it will be a long weekend.
Jonathan Demme tried to cram everything he likes about independent films into one wedding weekend, and it shows. "Rachel Getting Married" is very talky, jumping from one tense conversation to another. The wedding guests might be the most eclectic group of people ever assembled in one room. The film is scored live by the musicians who are supposed to play at the wedding -and who rehearse in the background all weekend. And, well, rehearsal dinners and wedding festivities are as insufferable (and nearly as long) in this movie as they are in real life. But Kym is a strong character, and Anne Hathaway buries her own ego so that Kym's considerable flaws come through full force.
Kym is not one of the more sympathetic cinematic junkies I've seen. She's possessed of a forceful, unattractive personality. She's consumed with self-loathing for a terrible mistake in her past, and it has morphed into self-obsession and self-pity. She seems more addicted to being an addict than to the drugs. She embraces the role as both a self-flagellation and as anesthetic for the very pain she inflicts on herself. Kym is far too self-important to evoke my sympathy. But she has such a presence that I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Beyond the interminable wedding talk, "Rachel Getting Married" is difficult to watch because of the constantly moving camera that always draws attention to itself. But it is worth the trouble for Anne Hathaway's performance, as well as Debra Winger's small role as Kym's mother. And we do finally get to see the wedding.
The DVD (Sony 2009): Bonus features include 3 featurettes, 9 deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer, and 2 feature commentaries. "A Look Behind the Scenes of Rachel Getting Married" (16 min) interviews Jonathan Demme, Jenny Lumet, cast and DP Declan Quinn about the diverse mix of people in the film, script, characters, and style of filming. "The Wedding Band" (8 min) is about the musicians, the role of music, and scoring the film live. "Cast and Crew Q&A at Jacob Burns Center, Pleasantville, New York" (49 min) is a question and answer session with 8 members of cast and crew, including the director, DP, and producer. There are 2 audio commentaries. One features producer Neda Armian, screenwriter Jenny Lumet, and editor Tim Squyres. The other is with actress Rosemarie DeWitt. Subtitles and dubbing are available for the film in French.
Movie Review: Dying for acceptance and love
Summary: 4 Stars
This film is painfully brutal in it's honest portrayal of a family gone awry. Each character is whole and real, acting out their parts in a sick family, in which everyone is suffering. There are short moments of joy, but they are never shared by everyone, and the cloud of alcoholism, death, rejection and pain is ever present.
The hope in this film is that these family members continue moving forward trying to heal. The reality seems to be though, that after the end of the film, they will continue to hurt each other, feel misunderstood, and remain isolated with-in the family. Addiction is a disease that kills. Addiction never happens in a vacuum, and the parents of Kim and Rachel have played their toxic roles in shaping these two young women, and their lost son.
The father portrays the amorphous, co-dependent enabler, terrified that he will do the wrong thing, trying to be all things to all people, while alienating his whole family. He so wants to get it right and take care of everything, but his real motive is to selfishly avoid all conflict or unpleasant emotion. The mother is cold, distant and hides her inability to form real relationships behind her work and 'busyness'. It is she who instigates the physical violence, while denying any responsibility for her children's neglect and her son's death. Having worked with addicts and their families for many years, this portrayal of the sick family is real and painfully accurate.
The way that Kim approaches Step Nine, "Made amends to all those we had harmed, except when to do so would injure them or others", makes a mockery of the intention of this step. It is sad to believe that Kim had been in Rehab for nine months, and still had such a skewed view of this step. Kim continues to go to meetings, and if she doesn't use or drink, she can experience the miracle of recovery too. At this point in her life, all that has changed for her is the clean urine test. I would hope that she and the family don't give up 5 minutes before their miracle happens. Jane Derry, ahomeaway.orgAlcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism