Dir. Mike Newell, UK, 1994, 117 mins
Cast: Hugh Grant, Andie McDowell, Kristen Scott Thomas
Review by Carol Allen
When FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL was first released in 1994, it came hot on the heels of a successful television series by David Nobbs' called "A Bit of a Do". The series followed the fortunes of a family as they took part in various "dos" - weddings, funerals, anniversaries and so on - and director Mike Newell and writer Richard Curtis used a similar device with the five events of the title to structure their film.
It tells the story of Charles, played by then rising young star Hugh Grant - the sort of upper class young Englishman that Hollywood dreams of - a bumbling charmer. Always the guest and never the groom, Charles meets and falls for Carrie (Andie McDowell), whom he meets at the first wedding and keeps bumping into at the subsequent gatherings, but he never hangs on to her due to his inability to face the thought of marriage for himself. Until the final reel that is, when they finally get together in a typical British downpour.
Curtis's witty and perceptive script gives good opportunities to Grant, McDowell and a strong supporting cast of Charles' friends, who are equally nuptial free and include Kristin Scott Thomas as the friend whose cool waters run deep, the late Charlotte Coleman as Charles' scatty flatmate, John Hannah as the calm and stable Matthew and the ebullient Simon Callow, the only one of the group, who has found true love - with another man. I was a bit annoyed at the time at what I saw as the courting of the American market in the casting of McDowell, but she is delightful in the role, so I didn't mind that much. And it was a big hit Stateside. It got a Best Picture Oscar nomination, it made Grant an international star and brought a lot of good young British actors to a wider audience. It is charming, funny, sometimes poignant and yes, it is very romantic.
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