Rachel Getting Married, directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia), is another dysfunctional family movie I never really intended to watch but rave reviews from a friend of mine got me to see it. And boy, what a fantastic movie! Thanks Red, you can go visit his blog here (still under construction). Best thing you could do if you are interested in seeing this movie, is not read any further. I did not know anything about the movie and it was a real surprise.

Kym (Anne Hathaway) is an addict released from rehab for a few days so she can attend her sister’s Rachel wedding (Rosemarie DeWitt) to kind-hearted Sydney (real life musician Tunde Adebimpe from the band TV on the Radio). As she gets home, we quickly see that there is tension simmering between the sisters. Kym is angry that her sister choose her best friend to be her maid of honor instead of her (get over it girl) and Rachel is frustrated that everything has to be about catering to Kym’s desires. Beneath all this fairly banal non-sense is a dark family tragedy that some blame on Kym. This all boils over as the preparation for the wedding are underway.

The plot of the movie can seem like your average chick flick wedding movie but this movie moves much much beyond cliches of the genre, thanks to a great screenplay written by Jenny Lumet and superb performances from the entire cast. Much has been said about Anne Hathaway’s Oscar-nominated breakthrough performance and she really does fit the bill. She plays an unglamorous, unlikeable, self-centered character who wants all the spotlight and all the sympathy. She is unstable, swiftly moving from careless happiness to anger and depression on virtually every take. Much overlooked, however, are the performances by Rosemarie DeWitt who matches Hathaway in every single scenes, and Bill Irwin who played a painfully moving likable father trying to keep the peace between his two daughters. Estranged mother Debra Winger was also outstanding as the mom who doesn’t want much of anything to do with her family’s emotional problems.In all, the chemistry between the family members can only be termed by the word authentic.

The movie was shot mostly with hand-held cameras (maybe too much) which wanders through the room of the house with the characters and makes you feel like you are part of the family. The movie also doesn’t have any musical score. All the music is performed by characters on the screen and great music it is. The film features some very moving and painful scenes but also culminates with the joyful wedding and vibrant reception scenes which are a celebration of life and love.

This is a movie that you will either absolutely love or hate. I loved it! Great performances, a handful of incredibly powerful scenes and lively musical settings set Rachel Getting Married apart.

A-