Some films aim to create great drama, others thrive on intricate plot points, while still more exist to overload our senses. That's the beauty of the medium - there's just so many ways a film can connect with and entertain its audience. Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married goes a route not often taken, striving to create an ultra real version of a weekend wedding. Shot on handheld cameras, it embodies the essence of a home video one might make of their own wedding. In doing so, Demme has achieved a level of honesty and realism that elevates this film to the ranks of the very best of the year.I can't lie, finding an entry point into this film is no easy task, especially if you aren't going in with a very open mind. Imagine, if you will, being dragged along by a friend to a wedding for someone you've never met, nor do you know any of the guests or family members. You might hear fondly told stories about events you never experienced. Perhaps you'll notice the way people speak with a certain tone about someone who is in attendance, or how they try not to speak of someone who is glaringly absent. And you'll certainly be audience to the many squabbles that inevitably come up with the gathering of such a large group of family members. That's a wedding, and that's Rachel Getting Married. For a good while I had trouble appreciating these characters because they didn't try to explain themselves to the audience. They had a past everyone in the film knew about that I in the audience had to discern through observation over this long weekend. And it pays off.
This isn't about a plot, as there is no running storyline, nor does it end with any real resolution. What we have is simply a group of people and their interactions. Central to it all is Kym (Anne Hathaway), free from rehab for the weekend for the first time in a long time. We don't know the details of why she ended up there, but we can figure it out as the film progresses. She is attending Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding, being presided over by father Paul (Bill Irwin). Mom Abby (Debra Winger), divorced from Paul for reasons we don't know (but slowly begin to understand if we think about it) is absent more often than she is present, much to the disappointment of her two children. The rest of those in attendance include groom Sidney, best man and recovering addict Kieran, Rachel's best friend Emma, Paul's new wife Carol, and the many family members on either side. It is a true ensemble and they all get their great moments. Particularly wonderful is how multicultural the whole affair is. Let's be honest for a second - if this were a big Hollywood production, it would have been an all white cast, or an all black cast. What we get instead is a melting pot of ethnicities, and that multicultural aspect adds vibrancy to the proceedings.
The performance you've probably already heard about is that of Anne Hathaway. Yes, she really is quite good. She can be frustrating when called upon, but she has a lot going on under her prickly exterior, and she let's it all out in a couple of key scenes. But her performance wouldn't work without the help of her costars. DeWitt is pitch perfect as Rachel, a woman torn between her future and her past. This weekend is about her, but her sister comes in like a storm, wreaking havoc and calling attention away from the wedding. The balancing act she plays between frustration and love for her sister is great. And then there's Bill Irwin as Paul, the father. This film simply couldn't work without his performance, simply my favorite of the film. He conveys so much with his character and he quickly becomes the heart of the film. When one character makes a happy announcement halfway through the film, his reaction is just wonderful and honest. His competition with Sidney, the soon to be son-in-law, over the dishes is lively and fun. And there is one event that happened many years ago that is hinted at for much of the film, which when finally laid bare for us in the audience, it is Paul's reactions to it that hits home most of all. Irwin's performance here is something to be treasured.
Demme made a smart choice with the handheld approach. Had he gone simply for staged melodrama it would have fallen flat, akin to the insidious Margot at the Wedding from last year. Demme allows you to be enveloped by the weekend celebration we are watching, and by the end we reach a catharsis. Sure, some parts go on too long and others make little sense to us upon initial viewing, but that's how we're supposed to feel at a wedding such as this. And the wedding itself, as well as the reception, just looks like so much fun. When it's all over we feel like we've really been a part of a special event, filled with ups and downs. I did not expect to like this film much, and I was resistant to it for the longest time while watching. But as it progressed it charmed me, wowed me, and made me cheer the little victories and moments some of the characters have. Rachel Getting Married may no be your idea of cinematic, but there's no denying that it is something special.
