Rachel Getting Married

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Tunde Adebimpe, Debra Winger
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Kym (Anne Hathaway) gets out of rehab to attend her sister, Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. However, the sisters occasionally clash, old wounds are reopened, and a family is forced to take a hard look at itself.

Review:

Tim: I hated this movie. It was one of the most boring, obnoxious movies I've ever seen. I could barely stand it. I pride myself in my ability to sit through a movie- any movie- to its conclusion. I very nearly turned this movie off. I read that director Jonathan Demme set out to make (and I quote) "The most beautiful home movie ever made." And, he at least got close to this. Rachel Getting Married feels completely like a home movie. It is what you would expect from a home movie. Here is the catch, however- most people's home movies suck. They don't just suck in a normal way, but in a life-draining, suicide-contemplative way. Why on earth would anyone want to watch a movie trying to emulate a medium that is tedious, boring, and often awful? I couldn't stand much of this movie.

One of the big complaints I have is that there are scenes that feel like they are ripped right out of a home movie. We watch a family gather at a dinner party, or dance at a wedding, and the scene goes on and on and on. I sat there, wide-eyed, not blinking, trying to figure out why the hell the scene would not end. These scenes weren't particularly strong in the first place, but their elongated form makes it absolute torture. The movie also doesn't help because it tries to portray these characters warts and all. These are all flawed characters, and believe me, that becomes apparent and then is hammered home over and over again. There truly is not a single character in the entire movie you can like. I don't like that.

I didn't think any actors gave particularly strong performances. I was a bit surprised that Anne Hathaway received as much acclaim as she did for her role. Yes, she played a very different role that she typically does, and I understand the Oscar-bait troubled addict appeal, but come on. She wasn't particularly memorable, and she was trapped in a fairly worthless movie. I like Hathaway more than she's probably earned, but I just couldn't like her here. She annoyed me thoroughly. The rest of the supporting cast isn't much better. Rosemarie DeWitt isn't bad, and I actually really did like the performance of Bill Irwin. Still, none of these performances are remarkable.

I simply do not understand the appeal of Rachel Getting Married. I was bored, tortured, and honestly was praying for this movie to end. The film is 113 minutes long, but it feels like 1,113 minutes long. I despised this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 3.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
The Devil Wears Prada, Margot at the Wedding