Four Weddings and a Funeral by Richard Curtis - Nine out of 10

Four Weddings and a Funeral by Richard Curtis

Nine out of 10

One of the most charming romantic comedies, Four Weddings and a Funeral has an outstanding Metascore, average rating by major critics that stands at 81 out of 100 (!), and benefits from a wonderful cast – as an example, one of the minor roles, that of a priest with only a couple of minutes of screen time (but what radiant, hilarious moments those are) has been filled by the famous Mr. Bean aka Rowan Atkinson as the awkward, shy, afraid of public speaking ( which is what people fear more than death, according to some polls) maladroit, gaffe prone Father Gerald, who is about to spoil one wedding when he is unable to utter the necessary ‘will you take this woman…’and the other well-known lines.

Hugh Grant is marvelous as the hero of the story, the main character within those Four Weddings and the regrettable Funeral, a young man who lives with a woman friend, in a platonic, non coital relationship and is involved in a few affairs that have failed – well, he has had one hysterical bond with a woman who seems deranged, but he may yet have a chance to find what seems like the Absolute Snow White, the Wonder Woman aka the American Carrie aka the resplendent and one of the most stupefying, fabulous artists, Andie MacDowell.

He is looking for love, meaning, respectable, serious involvement, just as his circle of friends is, in spite of the sardonic attitudes, and the spleen, taedium vitae, ennui that seems to overwhelm some or most of them at times, seeing as they do  to find the ideal of Plato, that other elusive half of the sphere – according to Plato, we have been divided in two halves of the perfect sphere and we look for completion, the other half that would make us one happy entity – obviously, this is not how the great, ancient philosopher has put it, but then he is not writing this sorry piece.

At the first wedding, we have one of the excellent humorous moments of this enchanting narrative, for when an acquaintance comes to Charles, who is speaking to the spectacular Carrie, the hero asks about the girlfriend that this man is with and he finds that she is no longer his girlfriend, an occasion for the gauche protagonist to express joy, for she was still fucking her ex-lover and then the bomb falls – she is my wife now! Oops, that was an unfortunate gaffe.

When our man sits at the table, ready to begin his speech, as the best man and friend pf the groom, he introduces himself to the old relative sitting next to him and he says his name is Charles, only to hear the old man retort with vigor and conviction…

‘Don’t ‘be ridiculous, Charles has been dead for twenty years now!’

Obviously, Hugh Grant has that charm, his unique manner of hesitating, making some odd moves, frowning a little, showing innocence and ingenuity that might remind some of James Stewart who was also famous, albeit decades before, with his style of apparently bungling the lines, but making them so much  more credible in the process…

If Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston have become infamous as a big screen couple that apparently had no chemistry, perhaps even an antipathy for each other on the set of The Bodyguard, Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell seem to get along perfectly, and indeed, the actress has been in some of the most remarkable parts we can think of – to mention a few: The Muse (noted on here - http://realini.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-muse-by-rhea-rene.html ) Green Card (http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/10/green-card-written-and-directed-by.html) the glorious Sex, Lies and Videotape (http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/02/note-on-sex-lies-and-videotape.html) or the splendid The Object of Beauty (http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-object-of-beauty-by-michael-lindsay.html)

The combination between romance, comedy and some introspection, sadness, caused by the sudden, unexpected death of the vivacious, at times bombastic, amusing, baritone Gareth aka the wondrous Simon Callow, works to near perfection and some moments are memorable, perhaps legendary, such as the awkward, mirthful marriage proposal, or was it declaration of love, the punch in the face received by the would be groom, when he states that he is no longer going to get married, the service of the hapless Father Gerald aka Rowan Atkinson who speaks with absolute gravity about…

The Holy Goat and

To be my Awful wedded wife, instead of the necessary, common sense lines known by everybody…what were they, by the way?

Four Weddings and a Funeral has become such a classic that it is about to have a remake…