Rating: Sizzling Popcorn
With just over three months until the world’s eyes are glued to the boob tube to watch the most prestigious film awards event of the year, critics are already making predictions on who will be nominated for an Oscar and who will be the winners. One film that has been talked about amongst critics since its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival is Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married, starring Anne Hathaway (Get Smart) and Rosamarie DeWitt (Cinderella Man).
After getting out of rehab, Kym (Hathaway) is going home for the wedding of her sister Rachel (DeWitt). Kym brings along with her a lot of baggage from her past: the drug addiction, the dysfunctional family and the lost of her brother Ethan, for which she is blamed for. Rachel and her fiancé are hoping to enjoy the company of their friends and family, but with Kym’s dramatic monologue at the rehearsal dinner, the family feud is rekindled.
Director Jonathan Demme takes a very different path in producing Rachel Getting Married than most films in the genre. Demme chooses to film this drama as if it was a documentary. During the shooting, spontaneity was a big thing. Musicians were instructed to play when inspired. The actors were told to be ready anytime as they camera could be focusing on them. What Demme has done makes you feel like you’re watching a home video of a family member’s wedding.
The cinematography of the film is very well done. In the first 10-15 minutes of the film, the audience feels like they’re stocking Kym, whether it be a shot from the ground looking up at her or a close-up on her face. This sense of stocking her that the audience has is actually how Kym really feels. She finds that after getting out of rehab her family is constantly watching her. Later on in the film, there’s a scene where the audience sees various shots of people dancing at the reception. We get this feeling of boredom. This is another part of the film where the cinematography illuminates how Kym is feeling.
Although the directing and cinematography are great, that’s not the reason for all the Oscar buzz around this film. The hot topic of Rachel Getting Married is the exceptional performances by Anne Hathaway and her supporting actress Rosamarie DeWitt. From being a princess in The Princess Diaries to a naive young woman looking to become the assistant to a New York fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada, none of Hathaway’s roles can equate to Kym. Her honesty and vulnerability with her role as a young woman facing many challenges in life is very Oscar-worthy and will transform her career as casting agents will see that she can play more serious roles. On the other hand, DeWitt has been receiving attention for her role in the film, which will hopefully receive a nomination for best supporting actresses. The chemistry between the two actresses creates in the film this image of two sisters fighting over the attention of family members amongst other things.
Rachel Getting Married, distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media, is a must-see! Its directing, cinematography and acting are three things that make this film Oscar-bound and worth your buck (actually ten bucks)! The film released at the beginning of October in limited theatres, but is now making its rounds to more cinemas in the bigger markets. Will we be seeing Anne Hathaway and Rosamarie DeWitt taking away the female acting awards in February? We’ll just have to wait and see!
Release Date: October 3, 2008
One Comment, Comment or Ping
screenwritingforhollywood
The title turns me off… but the story sounds interesting.
Nov 10th, 2008
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