Well....why write review of a movie released in 1994 and which has been long forgotten!?
Because I somehow was under the impression till yesterday (before I watched this movie) that it was a moonlight romantic flick..! But now as repentance and to correct the wrong-doings on my behalf...a favourable review on MS was due..!
Who & What
The movie depicts the lives of a group of friends - Charles (Hugh Grant), his room mate Scarlett, 2 blue-blooded siblings and 2 gay partners, who watch and participate over a period of months as one by one those amongst them step up at last to the altar. Young, handsome and charismatic, Charles has no problem developing a relationship (he’s had a number, in fact, as we learn in one particularly hilarious scene), but sustaining one is seemingly beyond his grasp. Until, at the wedding of one of his friends, he meets Carrie (MacDowell), an American, and she quickly enchants him. It is not the end of the story, however; for Charles, Carrie and the audience, it’s only-- as they say-- the beginning. (Ack : IMDb)
Hugh Grant is introduced to Andie in the first marriage. By the second marriage he gets the hang of what’s biting him. In the third marriage he suspects that he loves her and by fourth marriage he is absolutely sure..;-)
The Moments
I won’t be divulging who gets married to whom though it’s not like a well-kept suspense but still...just to add to the charm..;-)) Remember that this movie is a comedy with a romantic subplot and not the other way round...so don’t expect it to be like Notting Hill with subtle funny comments. ’4 Weddings..’ goes to lengths to make the audience laugh...whether it is bashing up Brits/Americans or interpreting the meaning of ’Honeymoon’..;-)
I could not stop laughing in the scenes where Hugh gets stuck in the closet while the bride and groom are ’’celebrating’’ their marriage, or where he is stuck at the table with all his old girlfriends, or where the vicar performs his first wedding ceremony. It’s hilarious without relying on stupid sight gags, obvious jokes, or other conventional movie cliches.
Watch out for...
The true gem of this movie for me had to be Simon Callow as Gareth. His character is charming because of his love for life, his zest, his wit, and his hidden tender side (it seems hardly beside the point that his relationship is homosexual, and it works beautifully), rather than his chiselled good looks and muscular chest.
I’m not a fan of Hugh Grant but this movie is much more than just about him....watch it if you also appreciate comedies not in the league of Jim Carey and Kevin Smith...;-) (Note the emphasis on ’Also’...because I’m also a fan of the ’Jay and Silent Bob’ retorts)
Try not to miss the poem read in the funeral called ’’Funeral Blues’’ by W. H. Auden...sad but captivating!
don’t forget to comment on the review..;-)
Adieu
jockey