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FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL (1994) (****)

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This romantic comedy is one of the best and most unorthodox ever made. It really doesn't follow the typical formula of boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy and girl fall apart and boy and girl come back together (most often having to run somewhere to meet up). As the title suggests, the film is made up of the characters attending weddings and one funeral. The title is a stroke of brilliance adding a level of tension to the film that makes one anxious about whom is getting hitched next and whom is going to die.

Charles (Hugh Grant, LOVE ACTUALLY) is a hopeless bachelor trying to find Mrs. Right. He has a way of always putting his foot squarely in his mouth though. His group of friends include: Tom (James Fleet, CHARLOTTE GRAY), an awkward man who happens to be one of the richest in England; Tom's brooding sister Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas, THE ENGLISH PATIENT); Charles' deaf brother David (film debut); the flashy Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman, MAP OF THE HUMAN HEART); the fun-loving Gareth (Simon Callow, NO MAN'S LAND); and the soft-spoken Matthew (John Hannah, THE MUMMY). At the first wedding of the film, Charles meets American Carrie (Andie MacDowell, GROUNDHOG'S DAY) and falls for her instantly. This brief affair sets up other chance meetings at weddings and funerals for the course of the film. It seems they are meant for each other, but fate seems to pull them apart.

The acting is first rate – Grant has never been better. The way he fumbles with his words is comic genius. No wonder he became a star because of it. MacDowell is charming as the mysterious American whose outward behavior seems like she is brimming with confidence, but lacks real confidence in the matters of love. Callow as the boisterous Gareth brings joy to his friends and to the audience. He is truly the life of the party.

Richard Curtis' writing is smart and hilarious. We don't learn much about the lives of the characters, but we learn a great deal about their personalities. In addition to the main group of characters, we see others across the room at the weddings, remember their faces, and chuckle at how things have changed upon arriving at the next event. A good romantic comedy can ignite a spark of magic in one's heart and this film does so effortlessly. In the words of David Cassidy, "I think I love this film." Okay he might not have said that exactly, but you get the point.

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Rick DeMott
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