Rachel Getting Married
2008
**½
Director: Jonathan Demme
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Anna Deavere Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, Debra Winger, Mather Zickel, Anisa George
A young addict leaves the rehab to attend her sister's wedding. In the few days that follow, Jonathan Demme's uneven film takes us through her troubled past and present. There are some dark secrets and ugly confrontations ahead, but it all ends on a predictably comforting note. The grainy and shaky camerawork gives us a voyeur's view to the family's dysfunction, although it's hardly an innovative way to instill realism. Demme's improvisational style feels fresh and vibrant, that is until he forces us to sit through an endless series of overemotional or merely embarrassing toasts at the rehearsal dinner, and a number of superfluous musical numbers at the actual nuptials. The characters on screen are very well played, but they deserve a collective slapping.
