Rachel Getting Married

Limited U.S. Release Date 10.3.08


With this single performance Anne Hathaway has transformed from a gum-chewing teen idol into a mature and talented young woman. Even though it has had limited releases within the U.S. I’m sure “Rachel Getting Married” will be at the top of every “must see” list of the Academy voting committee. This small budget project was filmed mostly on hand-cams, giving the audience the feeling of being part of the commotion as a silent member of the family rather than an outside observer who thanks their lucky stars they are not involved. The choppy and sometimes frantic cinematography was the same concept, but much more bearable than the vomit-inducing shots of the disappointing Cloverfield.

The relatively unknown cast, who looked and acted like real people inhabiting this actual home in Stamford, CT, pleasantly surprised me. The multi-racial and multi-cultural hodge-podge that Rachel’s wedding party embodied was no accident by Director Jonathan Demme. The Indian-themed wedding garb and food was accentuated with a local rock band playing the wedding march, guests dancing to Samba at the reception, Carnivale style entertainment, and a mess of W.A.S.P. Connecticutians giving a warm welcome to their new Caribbean in-laws. Not to mention the Asian best friend of the African groom giving a toast during the rehearsal dinner in his neon pink shirt and skinny black tie straight from the 80’s.

At this dinner we listening to a surprising monologue of a mid-20’s Kym (Hathaway) and a glimpse at the reason for her descent into drug and alcohol abuse rooting in her adolescent rebellion and remorse for the loss of a family member. After a brief leave from rehab in order to attend her sister, Rachel’s, wedding, Kym is literally walked through a maze of long-abandoned bedrooms and horrifying memories. She unwittingly meets the Best Man at a local AA meeting, and the two instantly connect, stealing a quick and dirty moment in the basement of her father’s house. Anne Hathaway takes the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions so intense and realistic that one would think she was actually a recovering addict. I found the climax of the film surmounting in a heart-wrenching scene at the mother’s (Debra Winger) house the night before the wedding as Kym confronts her asking why she left a 16 year old high on tranquilizers in charge of her toddler brother, only to have her drive off a bridge, allowing him to drown in the lake before she could get him out of his car seat. It literally comes to blows between the women, invoking a sort of silent physical acceptance and forgiveness of each other’s mistakes.

This sordid drama will leave you with a heavy heart and a new appreciation for your own dysfunctional family.


Rating: A