Rachel Getting Married: You Never Forget Ones That Makes You Cry

Every once in a while we put away our need to watch the usual action packed blockbusters, screwball comedies, and celebrity filled romances for a film that wrenches your emotions and makes you want to curl up in the fetal position with a blankey afterwards.  Rachel Getting Married, a sincere exploration of pain and forgiveness, is certainly one of those films.

The story follows Kym (Anne Hathaway), a recovering drug addict who returns to her musician father’s home in Connecticut for her sister’s bohemian, Indian theme wedding.  Amidst vivid scenes of joy and celebration, Kym struggles with the tragic scars her drug addiction has left on her and her family.  Her weak attempts to make amends backfire as she gives an awkwardly inappropriate toast at the rehearsal dinner, has sex with the best man, and raises hell about the fact that her sister, Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), has chosen her best friend, Emma (Anisa George), to be the Maid of Honor.  Family arguments and poignant moments of happiness and sorrow ensue amongst a slew of wedding events and revolving house guests.

Rachel Getting Married director, Jonathan Demme, admits he loved screenwriter Jenny Lumet’s “lack of concern for making her characters likable in the conventional sense” and wanted the film to look like ‘the most beautiful home movie ever made’.  Hand held camera techniques and soft, vibrant scenes of women floating around in saris and musicians playing sitars in gardens certainly provided a home movie effect reminiscent of a modern day hippie wedding.  What is even more impressive is that the film’s lack of concern for making Kym likable is exactly what made me love the film.  While I initially hated the loud, self-absorbed character who perpetually had a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, Anne Hathaway’s performance as the abrasive screw up desperately seeking to forgive herself for an unforgiveable mistake is what makes the film so moving.  Equally impressive was Debra Winger’s performance as Kym and Rachel’s half present, flighty mother, Abby.  While Kym and Abby showcased many of the film’s uncomfortable, emotionally charged moments, the warm performances of Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel and Bill Irwin, Kym and Rachel’s soft-hearted father, completed a very believable family dynamic.

I highly recommend this movie for many reasons, including its departure from the mainstream, documentary-style filming that captured a unique artistic vision, and often unrehearsed scenes which produced the starkly human side of acting still all too rare in movies.  Kym’s unrelenting and desperate exploration of the truth during her sister’s Indian wedding in Connecticut simultaneously make the film realistic and fantastical.  Be forewarned, however, the film tackles a few difficult topics that made more than one viewer in my audience—no, not just me!—gasp and cry.  But if you’re looking for the one film this year that will give you a thorough emotional cleansing, Rachel Getting Married is the one.  You can also check out more filmmaker commentary and other information at the official web site.

Runtime: 113 min. (USA),
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2008 (Italy)
Production Company:  Sony Pictures Classics