Rachel Getting Married Movie Review

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED: GO CRASH ANOTHER WEDDING

Rachel Getting Married has, to put it bluntly, a bloated storyline about a recovering drug addict coming home. There are rare heartbreaking moments that give way to unnecessarily long scenes. Anne Hathaway is chaotic in a good way as a drama queen/aforementioned recovering drug addict struggling with the one regret she can't forgive herself for. She is the only reason to watch the film.

Kym (Anne Hathaway) has just gotten out of drug rehab after a long nine months. She goes home to be with her family for her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie Dewitt) wedding. Kym attempts to deal with her past while unsuccessfully trying to focus on her sister and the momentous occasion. Family drama threatens to throw the whole weekend into upheaval. As emotions fly high, Kym has to decide if rehab has done the job her and her family needed it to do.

At the heart of the film is a dysfunctional family that is struggling with a past tragic event that has had a profound effect on each of them. This while dealing with a current event that is supposed to be a happy one. But one keeps overshadowing the other. It can be exhausting to watch. The scenes tend to be long winded. They want to make a point but end up overstaying their welcome. The ensemble is good but they all seem to be running in different directions. Rosemarie Dewitt as the long suffering sister is whiny. It is hard to sympathize with her. Her fiancée is just there to support her and be quiet. Dad is more emotional and dramatic than you would expect. But the fireworks between Hathaway and Debra Winger as her mom explode out of nowhere and leaves its audience stunned. Hathaway is the reason to watch. She is the true train wreck in this film and commits to this girl who is not necessarily likable but is somebody that you can feel for. Director Jonathan Demme shows a typical upper class American family in Connecticut. He wants you to see the nice, lived in house along with the hustle and bustle of the wedding preparation. But what he doesn't show has more of an impact. Kim's recount of the tragic event is made more mournful as she hangs her head during her meeting.

More than one scene goes on much longer than it needs to. For each, the loss of interest comes at about the halfway point for each scene. They lose their significance because of its tendency to ramble.

This is NOT an uplifting story about a drug addict's road to recovery. Anne Hathaway is heart wrenching as Kym, the dramatic sister whose problems nobody wants to deal with. She is the one bright spot in an otherwise irrelevant movie.

Report Card:

Story-C-

Acting-C+

Visuals-C

Originality/Innovation-C-

Enjoyability Grade–C-

Overall Grade-C