Rachel Getting Married

Rachel Getting Married is a great movie. It stars Anne Hathaway as Kym, sister of the bride and a junkie with a tragic past. Kym comes home from rehab to attend her sister Rachel's wedding. I got the idea from the posters and previews of this movie that it would be sort of lightly dramatic and funny but then I noticed the name Jonathan Demme on the poster as director. That would be "Silence of the Lambs" Demme. OK? "The Princess Diaries" and "Silence of the Lambs". Maybe it's a musical?

While watching this movie I disappeared into this wedding and family completely. I lost all regard for my surroundings in the theater. For once I wasn't thinking about how much I wanted a Reece's cup or how much popcorn was left!! The way this movie is shot with some hand held camera scenes make you feel like you are in the action. Throughout the course of the wedding festivities the family pain and joy flow out of each character. There are several times in the movie where you are laughing along with a joke and then suddenly have tears welling up in your eyes. Let me warn you. Seeing this movie will make you think about your own family dynamic. Any resentment, jealousy or pain that lingers in your own memory will suddenly be front and center waiting for you to deal with it. So it is not your family you are watching but these people are SO familiar they could be yours.

There are two other great things about "Rachel Getting Married". The first is multiculturalism. The wedding is a beautiful blend of so many cultures and it is not done in a smug, elitist "look how liberal I am" fashion. The characters are simply allowed to enjoy and borrow from cultures that are not there own just because they want to. The second thing I enjoyed was the music. Instead of having a formal music score, the music is provided by wedding guests with instruments. The music parallels the ups and downs of the movie with happy dance music to sad strains of a single violin.

As I left the theater I could not help thinking of three favorite movies that remind me of "Rachel Getting Married" in very different ways. The music reminds me of "Once", the family dynamic reminds me of "Secrets and Lies" and finally the wedding reminds me of "Monsoon Wedding". I was exhausted but happy when I got home. This movie gave me a lot to think about.