It was all so repetitive, certainly very funny in spots, at least when Hugh Grant was onscreen. There's a reason why throughout the 1990's, he was a top star and quite in demand. But how often can you play the stereotypical awkward young Englishman and keep it fresh? Well, he managed to do it, and here, he is definitely in top form.
How then does he get involved with the American Andie MacDowell? She basically reads her lines like she's reading a telephone book, without any emotion, and frankly, her character is rather frightening. When she meets him at the first wedding, she makes insinuations of them having a fling, and then goes out of her way to ensure that it happens, basically insinuating that he's now her man and sounds like she's demanding that they marry.
A reference to "Fatal Attraction" follows up this scene, and when they meet again, she's flirting with him but then announces that she's engaged to a wealthy Scotsman, the third wedding. she's charming and spots and always seems to be happy, but there's something underneath that where Grant should be very wary of her. That's an element of the writing, not her performance, although she is one of the most boring actresses of the 1990's.
So what you don't get from the leading lady you do get with Grant and the wacky people around him, a group of British character actors who range from Rowan Atkinson as a stuttering priest to Simon Callow as an older gay man who has found real love with a much younger man. the funeral is actually more interesting than some of the weddings, because you can only have so many awkward best man speeches without getting redundant.
So where does this film stand 25 years after it's successful release? It certainly has some extremely memorable moments, but it really says nothing about the human condition other than the fact that we're all messed up regardless of our gender or relationship status. in a romantic comedy, you have to root for the two leads to get together, and unfortunately, that does not happen here. So enjoy it for the charming leading man and the eccentrics around him, but stay away from the bouquet. After this, I wouldn't want there to be a fifth wedding.
How then does he get involved with the American Andie MacDowell? She basically reads her lines like she's reading a telephone book, without any emotion, and frankly, her character is rather frightening. When she meets him at the first wedding, she makes insinuations of them having a fling, and then goes out of her way to ensure that it happens, basically insinuating that he's now her man and sounds like she's demanding that they marry.
A reference to "Fatal Attraction" follows up this scene, and when they meet again, she's flirting with him but then announces that she's engaged to a wealthy Scotsman, the third wedding. she's charming and spots and always seems to be happy, but there's something underneath that where Grant should be very wary of her. That's an element of the writing, not her performance, although she is one of the most boring actresses of the 1990's.
So what you don't get from the leading lady you do get with Grant and the wacky people around him, a group of British character actors who range from Rowan Atkinson as a stuttering priest to Simon Callow as an older gay man who has found real love with a much younger man. the funeral is actually more interesting than some of the weddings, because you can only have so many awkward best man speeches without getting redundant.
So where does this film stand 25 years after it's successful release? It certainly has some extremely memorable moments, but it really says nothing about the human condition other than the fact that we're all messed up regardless of our gender or relationship status. in a romantic comedy, you have to root for the two leads to get together, and unfortunately, that does not happen here. So enjoy it for the charming leading man and the eccentrics around him, but stay away from the bouquet. After this, I wouldn't want there to be a fifth wedding.