This week we’re taking a look at the indie drama, Rachel Getting Married (R). In the film Anne Hathaway stars as a recovering junkie who gets a weekend leave to attend her older sister’s (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding at the homestead. Making the transition back to normalcy (even for a few days) proves to be difficult for both Hathaway and the rest of her family. Jonathon Demme directs.
Andy: Rachel Getting Married is a well made, realistic, and very difficult film to watch. The story is centered around Kym (Anne Hathaway) and her myriad issues with drug addiction, intra family relationships, and other demons from her past. Airing all of those issues against the backdrop of her sister’s wedding makes an uncomfortable situation a whole lot more uncomfortable, and at times downright excruciating. It is a testament to the performances and director Jonathan Demme that the audience feels that discomfort throughout.
Ryan: Rachel Getting Married has been getting its fair share of Oscar buzz mainly with Hathaway’s against-type performance. In actuality the film is more than Hathaway’s praise-worthy performance. It’s not quite Best Picture material but it’s still a solid piece of work. Granted there are scenes that drag and the non-structured linear story might frustrate some moviegoers but overall the film plays like a top notch indie picture.
Andy: The key to a movie like this working is that there must be top notch performances. There isn’t a bad one in Rachel Getting Married, but without question the group is led by Hathaway. She exudes selfishness, pain, and vulnerability, but manages to stay likeable for much of the film. It is no surprise that her complex performance is getting Oscar buzz, because performances like this don’t come around very often.
Ryan: Hathaway’s name has been getting tossed around for an Oscar and the acclaim is justified. The strength of her performance is that the audience still cares for her character even though she’s openly obnoxious in the film. A best actress nomination would not be out of the question and well deserved. Another potential nomination (for best supporting actress) might be for DeWitt. Her character is not developed the strongest but she more than holds her own in the heavy scenes with Hathaway.
Andy: For all of the good things about this movie, the story itself does lag a little at times. The marriage of Rachel that is in the title gets a reasonably large portion of the screen time, but you can’t help getting the sense that the wedding is not what this movie is about. So during long stretches of wedding activity, the movie drags a bit. The movie also lacks a truly satisfying conclusion, which bothers my sense of wanting a story to be completed, but probably is appropriate for the character it’s analyzing.
Ryan: Demme’s decision to shoot the film in a non-traditional manner also enhances the movie. The movie is almost exclusively shot with hand-held cameras and almost has a documentary type feel. Moreover the use of the hand-held cameras provides not only for an intimate look but arguable a voyeuristic feel as well. Consequently and by design this makes several scenes in the movie uncomfortable to watch--almost to the point where we, as the audience, feel that we shouldn’t be eavesdropping on the family drama unfolding.
Highlighted with some outstanding performances, with Hathaway leading the way, Rachel Getting Married is an authentic look at a family dealing with its past, present and future. Final grade: B+.
Andy: Rachel Getting Married is a well made, realistic, and very difficult film to watch. The story is centered around Kym (Anne Hathaway) and her myriad issues with drug addiction, intra family relationships, and other demons from her past. Airing all of those issues against the backdrop of her sister’s wedding makes an uncomfortable situation a whole lot more uncomfortable, and at times downright excruciating. It is a testament to the performances and director Jonathan Demme that the audience feels that discomfort throughout.
Ryan: Rachel Getting Married has been getting its fair share of Oscar buzz mainly with Hathaway’s against-type performance. In actuality the film is more than Hathaway’s praise-worthy performance. It’s not quite Best Picture material but it’s still a solid piece of work. Granted there are scenes that drag and the non-structured linear story might frustrate some moviegoers but overall the film plays like a top notch indie picture.
Andy: The key to a movie like this working is that there must be top notch performances. There isn’t a bad one in Rachel Getting Married, but without question the group is led by Hathaway. She exudes selfishness, pain, and vulnerability, but manages to stay likeable for much of the film. It is no surprise that her complex performance is getting Oscar buzz, because performances like this don’t come around very often.
Ryan: Hathaway’s name has been getting tossed around for an Oscar and the acclaim is justified. The strength of her performance is that the audience still cares for her character even though she’s openly obnoxious in the film. A best actress nomination would not be out of the question and well deserved. Another potential nomination (for best supporting actress) might be for DeWitt. Her character is not developed the strongest but she more than holds her own in the heavy scenes with Hathaway.
Andy: For all of the good things about this movie, the story itself does lag a little at times. The marriage of Rachel that is in the title gets a reasonably large portion of the screen time, but you can’t help getting the sense that the wedding is not what this movie is about. So during long stretches of wedding activity, the movie drags a bit. The movie also lacks a truly satisfying conclusion, which bothers my sense of wanting a story to be completed, but probably is appropriate for the character it’s analyzing.
Ryan: Demme’s decision to shoot the film in a non-traditional manner also enhances the movie. The movie is almost exclusively shot with hand-held cameras and almost has a documentary type feel. Moreover the use of the hand-held cameras provides not only for an intimate look but arguable a voyeuristic feel as well. Consequently and by design this makes several scenes in the movie uncomfortable to watch--almost to the point where we, as the audience, feel that we shouldn’t be eavesdropping on the family drama unfolding.
Highlighted with some outstanding performances, with Hathaway leading the way, Rachel Getting Married is an authentic look at a family dealing with its past, present and future. Final grade: B+.
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