Rachel Getting Married Review

I don't live in the boondocks, but I don't exactly live in a major city either.

So, being a person who loves going to the movies, I have to keep my eyes peeled as I wait for smaller — usually independent — films to arrive in my backyard.

It seems simple, but it's trickier than it sounds. I'll usually read a great review for a small movie I want to see in a national magazine, but the movie is only coming out in New York and Los Angeles and won't be in the Tampa area until a month or two later. Since I'm very easily distracted, I've made a habit of checking Fandango every Friday to see what new movies (besides the major releases everyone gets to see) are making their debuts in this area. (I don't care what anyone says, but last year's "Margot at the Wedding" with Nicole Kidman and Jack Black NEVER came to this area. I looked every week.)

I'm telling you all this because this is exactly what happened with "Rachel Getting Married." Since more than a month ago, I've been reading great things about this dramedy and, particularly, star Anne Hathaway's potentially Oscar-worthy performance. Unfortunately, I'd kinda forgotten all about it until my routine Fandango check a week ago.

I'm very happy I stumbled upon it because it's definitely a movie worth watching, especially if you've ever had a strained relationship with your family — so, yeah, it's a movie for EVERYONE.
Anne Hathaway stars as Kym, the troubled black sheep in one of those impossibly affluent families with a fantastic cabin in the woods, who is temporarily let out of rehab to attend her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding. Throughout the course of the days leading up to the wedding, fresh salt is poured on old family wounds and we gradually find out why Kym became estranged from her family.

I like Hathaway a lot and I'm glad to see that she's becoming a big star. However, when you become a big star, it obviously becomes harder to lose yourself in roles. On top of that, when a big star does a small movie like this, the more cynical people among us accuse them of blatantly grabbing for an Oscar.

I'm happy to report that, to me, Hathaway's performance doesn't have any of those qualities. She completely immerses herself in this messy, selfish, sad, vicious character and appears to be working her ass off as opposed to trying to win an award. She also, somehow, makes Kym likable and has the audience rooting for her to get better or make some sort of breakthrough. Of course, that could just be because I like Anne Hathaway.

While Hathaway certainly deserves all the raves she's been getting, I think DeWitt is equally as good as the solid, sensible and not-so-secretly attention-seeking Rachel. To be perfectly honest, I identified with her character — a steady individual who is probably a terrific person, but feels frustration because, most of the time, there are no awards for being a steady, wonderful person in real life. Rachel isn't boring; she's just not a drama queen like her sister, whom she genuinely cares about (though Rachel and Kym DO have a couple of painfully uncomfortable arguments in the movie). She feels like her father overlooks her, but I'm hoping DeWitt's work isn't overlooked during awards season.

Another standout is Bill Irwin as Rachel and Kym's relentlessly likable and overwhelmed dad. Irwin probably provides most of the movie's laughs, but watching his character try (and mostly fail) to satisfy both of his daughter's wishes is a little sad. Irwin plays both sides of the character well. Debra Winger is also fine as the girls' semi-estranged mom. I don't need everything spelled out for me, but I would've liked a little more information about Winger's character — mostly it was just good to see Debra Winger back on screen. I also liked Mather Zickel as a kindred spirit Kym meets during the festivities.

Director Jonathan Demme ("Silence of the Lambs") used herky jerky handheld cameras for the film. While the technique has been mostly used recently to lend urgency to action movies, it also works in this intimate setting. During the various fights and, especially, during the family gatherings, you feel like you're part of the action.

The only drawback for me was that Demme sometimes let a few of these sequences go on for too long. I get that he wants to establish what it's really like to be at an event like this — touching, funny, tedious — but having everyone in the cast make a mini-speech makes your eyes glaze over after a while. (Put it on the DVD, Demme!) Also, the final wedding reception sequence was almost as indulgently over long as the beginning of this review.

In short, I liked this movie a lot (though not as much as the similar "Dan in Real Life" or "Pieces of April") and it features two of the best performances the year. I'm glad I caught it before it snuck in and out of town.

Rachel Getting Married...A-