Rachel Getting Married (2008)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer (WGA):

Jenny Lumet (written by)

Release Date:

31 October 2008 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A young woman who has been in and out from rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her sister's wedding.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Maid Of Honor | Singer | Bridesmaid | Song

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 17 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Sebastian Stan	...	Walter / Bowtie Party Guest
Roslyn Ruff	...	Rosa
Anne Hathaway	...	Kym
Bill Irwin	...	Paul
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Carol
Annaleigh Ashford	...	Quick Stop Cashier
Zafer Tawil	...	Violin Friend
Beau Sia	...	Wedding Czar
Innbo Shim	...	Wedding Planner
Eliza Simpson	...	Wedding P.A.
Olive	...	The Poodle
Rosemarie DeWitt	...	Rachel
Anisa George	...	Emma
Tamyra Gray	...	Singing Friend
Victoria Haynes	...	Bridesmaid

Also Known As:

Dancing with Shiva (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M | UK:15 | New Zealand:M | Ireland:15A | Sweden:7 | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Brazil:14 | Netherlands:9 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Clinica Estetico

Trivia:

Childhood photos of Anne Hathaway's younger brother Thomas served as photos of Ethan in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Kym and Rachel are talking as Rachel is trying on her dress, Rachel bends down to the floor and her arm disappears from the shot, in the next shot Rachel's side is visible again as if she had stood up instantly.

Quotes:

[Kym speaks at a twelve-step meeting]
Kym: When I was sixteen, I was babysitting my little brother. And I was, um... I had taken all these Percocet. And I was unbelievably high and I... we had driven over to the park on Lakeshore. And he was in his red socks just running around in these piles of leaves. And, um, he would bury me and I would bury him in the leaves. And he was pretending that he was a train. And so he was charging through the leaves, making tracks, and I was the caboose, and I was, um...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Anne Hathaway/The Killers (#34.4)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Everyday

Family, Rehab, Wedding and Amends

Greetings again from the darkness. After the first 5 minutes, I hated Anne Hathaway's character and I was sea-sick from director Jonathan Demme's hand-held camera work. And then two hours later I felt like I had just attended a family wedding! I got fully sucked in by Jenny Lumet's (daughter of Sidney, the master) riveting story of a family ripped apart and trying desperately to hold on to what is left.

While Hathaway's Kym is getting all the pub, I found Rosemarie DeWitt's Rachel every bit as mesmerizing, though a bit less laser-tongue equipped. Their scenes together are mind-warping ... truly like watching footage of a train wreck over and over. They love and hate each other, all while being loved and hated by everyone else in the family. So much self-destructiveness that it makes one wonder why apparent sweet guy Sidney (played oddly by Tunde Adedimpbe of TV on the Radio) wants to have anything to do with this ghastly group.

Just to make sure you are absolutely uncomfortable, Lumet tosses in the rarely seen Debra Winger as Kym and Rachel's estranged mother, who has emotionally backed out of their life completely so as not to feel the guilt she deserves for the death of the youngest sibling.

There is no way to watch this movie without numerous moments of being squeamish or uncomfortable. That is really the strength of the film ... it draws you into this world that you just don't want to be a part of.