(A bunch of drunk, droll, dashing Brits. I think I’m in heaven…)
CAST: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, John Hannah, Simon Callow, James Fleet, David Callow, Charlotte Coleman, Rowan Atkinson.
DIRECTOR: Mike Newell
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and potential allergic reactions to too much wedding cake - straight ahead…
As we discussed in our review for MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING (review # 40), I likened marriage to something that you should only do to get a Great White Shark to stop gnawing on your leg. In other words, while it makes perfect legal (inheritance for the kiddies) and financial (combined incomes!) sense, I just don’t agree with it on an emotional or psychological plane. After all, would you eat the same dish or watch the same TV show for the rest of your life? I don’t think so. Nothing has caused humanity more angst (and blue balls) than “Until Death Do Us Part.”
A smarter way to handle marriage is to follow the idea posited by a friend of mine who looks like the late, lovely actress Lee Remick. “Lee” thinks that unions between people should be handled through contracts that can be re-negotiated every few years. Basically, she thinks that marriages should be treated the same way the military treats enlistees: sign up for three, four, or six-year stints - and if you don’t get thrown out for doing something stupid in the middle of your enlistment, you can re-up for another few years of fucking the same person. Either way, the pressure is considerably lessened. The idea is sheer brilliance, and I wish I could take credit for it, but that honor must go to “Lee.” I, for one, would totally go for it, and opt for the lowest period possible. Like a week or two.
Charles (Hugh Grant), the hero of our next review, FOUR WEDDINGS AND FUNERAL, is of the same opinion. Charles is one of those guys that everyone loves: cute, funny, smart in his own way, with charisma to burn. He’s also a bit of a commitment-phobe, and has been labeled as a “serial monogamist.” That is, he doesn’t have a consistent girlfriend - but rather a string of them. To be fair, Charles is completely loyal to his gals during their individual times with him. Unfortunately, he starts to get the jitters when he’s been with one girl for too long - and bolts for the next Flavor of the Month.
In other words, he’s my soul brother. High five, Chuckie!
Fortunately, Charles has an extended network of loyal friends who gently tolerate his carefree ways. They are: (1) Fiona (Kristen Scott Thomas), an icy beauty who hides her feelings for Charles; (2) Gareth (Simon Callow), an older gay dude who is always the life of the party and the very definition of fun; (3) Matthew (John Hannah), a younger gay dude who is Gareth’s soulmate and is as mellow as Gareth is vibrant; (4) Tom (James Fleet), Fiona’s dorky older brother; (5) Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman), Charles’s wacky roommate whose hair color is forever changing; and (6) David (David Bower), Charles’s deaf brother who can cuss better with sign language than most sailors can with their own tongues.
Basically, Charles has everything a guy needs: (1) smashing good looks; (2) a great personality; and (3) a circle of vivacious, witty, and interesting friends who are never dull. So what if he can’t commit? If he did, he probably would become a lot less engaging. And more, ahem, engaged. Which, as we’ve already established, is like chaining yourself to a boulder teetering on the edge of a cliff. In other words: no, grazie…
All this changes, though, when Charles meets the hypnotically beautiful Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at the first of our titular four weddings. As Fiona helpfully points out, Carrie isn’t exactly ideal dating material for Charles because she is: (1) American; (2) a slut; (3) is a high-powered fashion editor for British Vogue; and (4) dates only other fabulous people like herself.
Undeterred, Charles sallies forth and tries to win Carrie’s attention. However, in a couple of scenes of “foot-in-mouth” disease that makes me look like the model of tact and diplomacy, Charles only succeeds in making himself look like an ass - and sending Carrie walking away with a slight smile on her face.
But, wait… was that slight smile actually of… attraction? Was Carrie actually smitten somehow by Charles’s fumbling and stammering charm? She must have been, because after the wedding reception, they end up fucking each other’s brains out at a local inn. And giving each other googly eyes through the early morning light filtering through the window.
Danger, Will Robinson. Danger!
One wedding down, three more to go. And the journey is going to be a bitch because after his one-night stand with Carrie, that slutty and fashionable American (someone called my name?), Charles realizes he has… fallen in love for the first time ever. At the next wedding, he runs into Carrie yet again. His joy and delight at meeting who he views as his soul mate are cruelly dashed to the ground when she introduces him to Hamish (Corin Redgrave), her Scottish fiancee who apparently owns Scotland’s entire supply of kilts.
As you can imagine, Charles’s boner pretty much wilts faster than an English Rose in the Sahara desert. But if you’re thinking that the fact she’s engaged to a guy who wears skirts is enough to keep Carrie from fucking Charles after the wedding reception yet again, you obviously don’t know what a true slut is. A true slut will not let some ring on his/her finger stop him/her from fucking what he/she wants to fuck. Needless to say, we get another local inn, and another shot of Charles and Carrie giving each other googly eyes.
And, yes… another wedding. This time, between Carrie and Hamish. I don’t have to point out that Charles is pretty much flummoxed at this point. After all, this bitch has pretty much rocked his world twice now. Does she really love him? Or is it just her clitoris that pines for him? Will Charles just let her go? Will he finally realize that Fiona has been head-over-heels for him since, well, Day One? Or will he continue to hope that he and the Slutty, Fashionable American (who keeps calling my name?) have some kind of future together? How many more goddamn weddings do we have to go through before Charles decides to nut up and declare his love, consequences be damned?
Seriously… how many more? Because I’m starting to get the hives over here. And a rash…
BUT, SERIOUSLY: British screenwriter turned director Richard Curtis first got noticed on this side of the Atlantic for his wonderfully droll, yet also elegantly sincere screenplay for FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL. He would go on to bring his special combo of sweet-yet-snarky to the BRIDGET JONES films, NOTTING HILL, and LOVE ACTUALLY. While all those films were bright and engaging, it’s in this movie where his star (and words) shine the brightest.
Cleverly structured over a series of celebrations (and one funeral), FOUR WEDDINGS AND FUNERAL maintains a heady and engaging feel because we always see its characters at play. We never see any of them doing the humdrum things of daily life like working, running errands, or paying bills. With the exception of Carrie who is a fashion editor for Vogue, we don’t even know what any of their professions are. We always see them just having a great time partying in one way or another, and its quite entertaining.
This is obviously a deliberate choice, since director Mike Newell and Curtis want to create the feel of a never-ending party that is never interrupted by such trivial daily concerns. The only time the string of celebrations halts temporarily is during the tragic death of a major character in the third act. However, even this downbeat plot turn is eventually used in a positive light since the character in question was the most fun-loving one in the group, and never hesitated to show his joy for life and his friends. He was always reminding everyone that life is short and that if you love someone, show it now before it’s too late. Fortunately for him, he lived a full life of doing such things - and had no regrets when he died.
The film regroups for a finale that is both intoxicating and touching in equal measure. Those of you expecting the marriage-averse Charles to finally succumb to the institution will be both disappointed and pleasantly surprised. Suffice it to say, there are more ways than just a wedding to end a romantic comedy film happily. The great thing about FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL is that it ties up not only the Carrie-Charles connection, but all the other friends' threads as well.
The main reason FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL works is not only because of Newell and Curtis’s assured handling of the material, but also the timelessness of the movie’s central hook: a man skeptical of love who finally finds a woman he can’t forget. Hugh Grant was already known in the U.S. for his roles in IMPROMPTU, THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM, and BITTER MOON, just to name a few. However, it was his role in this movie that made him a major star and household name to Americans everywhere. And it’s easy to see why: in his hands, Charles is an irresistible combination of good boy, bad boy, and lost boy. The kind that breaks hearts without wanting to or knowing it. It’s his love for Carrie, as well as his realization that life is indeed short, that makes him mature and want to find something genuine. Which, in the end, is what we’re all after.
With Carrie, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL has its only potential flaw. There is nothing really wrong with the character herself. As written, Carrie is one of those women whose dazzling, intimidating beauty conceals a winningly down-to-earth and unpredictably carefree attitude. It’s this ebullient and vivacious American quality that attracts the more reserved and British Charles to her.
The problem is that Andie MacDowell, while alluring and fine in the early going, never really allows us to see into Carrie’s heart and her buried feelings for Charles. There are some actresses who can semaphore a hundred hidden layers with simple gestures like a flick of the eye, an averted glance, or a sad smile. And that’s the kind of actress that Carrie needed to play her. This is a woman who’s worldly, playful, and always cool and in control. How exhilarating would it have been to watch her realize that she’s falling for this guy that was supposed to be just a one-night fling? To slowly and reluctantly drop the cool-as-a-cucumber façade and be vulnerable and real? It would’ve been wonderful.
The final scene in the rain between Carrie and Charles after the fourth wedding was supposed to be such a moment. At this point, Carrie is supposed to be at her most vulnerable and real. Unfortunately, MacDowell never allows herself to lose control enough to make Carrie’s emotions fathomable. By this scene, Carrie’s journey from glamorous, poised, sexually-adventurous bombshell to scared, fragile, genuine woman whose heart now belongs to Charles, should be complete and satisfying. Sadly, we never really get that catharsis. Had MacDowell been less cool and measured with her acting, Carrie’s emotional journey would have been a smashing one.
This is not a knock against MacDowell, though. She chose to play Carrie this way for whatever reason. And to be fair, in the first half of the movie, when Carrie is still pulling the strings in the affair, MacDowell is perfect. It’s in the second half where we start to lose some identification with her. But I’m also happy to report that time apparently does hone one’s skills and judgment, because by the time she starred in the wonderful CRUSH (2001) and the engaging TARA ROAD (2005), MacDowell’s performances were pitch-perfect. Her characters in those two films came across as real and human, and we saw the vulnerability beneath the coolly-gorgeous surface.
Fortunately, everything else about FOUR WEDDINGS AND FUNERAL is nearly perfect, so whatever flaws there are with how Carrie was portrayed are easily papered over. The supporting cast is simply fantastic. Kristin Scott-Thomas is one such actress who can semaphore a hundred hidden layers with simple gestures. As the aloof, almost-imperious Fiona, Scott-Thomas delivers a memorable and quietly wrenching performance. Watch the scene during the first wedding reception when Charles, being the best man, gives a speech where he says he could never commit to anyone. Watch the way the camera lingers on Fiona in the audience during this part. Watch how Scott-Thomas uses a simple averted glance away from Charlie to hint at her hidden feelings. I remember seeing this movie for the first time back in 1994, not knowing anything about the plot, and seeing how Fiona’s eyes move away from him when he says that. And I remember thinking: “She loves him.”
Sure enough, late in the film, Fiona finally confesses her love to Charlie - and it's a great scene made even more affecting and memorable because of how understatedly its played. Unrequited love has never looked so classy and riveting - and it's all due to Kristin Scott-Thomas's lovely acting. You can't help but wish Charles would choose her.
In fact, there’s a small contingent of FOUR WEDDING AND FUNERAL fans out there who feel that Charlie should have gone for Fiona instead. And, given how Carrie was played in the last half of the film, I can certainly understand why.
Regarding the rest of the supporting cast, as with Scott-Thomas, they knock their roles out of the park. Simon Callow is absolutely wonderful as Gareth, the man whose motto is basically live now, laugh now, love now. And given what happens to Gareth in the third act of the film, this is sound advice. As Gareth’s life partner, Matthew, John Hannah delivers a cool and measured performance that still manages to be spontaneous and lively. As Charlie himself says about Gareth and Matthew, they’re a perfect match. Further credit should go to Richard Curtis for showing a gay couple as a happy and vibrant union way before it became the norm. In this regard, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL is ahead of its time.
Charlotte Coleman, James Fleet, and David Bower round out Charles’s group of friends with their own vivid performances. Bower, in particular, is quietly (no pun intended) hilarious as the deaf brother who know some colorful sign language. Even more amusing is British comedy vet Rowan Atkinson as a priest-in-training who seriously fumbles his first wedding ceremony.
To sum up, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL is a near-perfect comedy that brilliant combines elegance with edge, and sweet and sardonic. Even those of you skeptical of the idea of saying “I do” or hearing the words “’Til Death Do You Part” will love this movie…
