Rachel Getting Married

Rachel Getting Married

Directed by: Jonathan Demme

Starring: Anne Hathaway

Genre: Drama/Comedy/ Independent

Run Time: 113 min.

Release Date: October 2008

On The Web: Official Site

Teaser: Movie Trailer

Reviewed by Byron Merritt

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED is a depressing tale of a family’s dysfunction and how all of them try to come to grips with a terrible accident. Unfortunately for Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt, OFF THE BLACK), it’s all coming to a head during her wedding. But let’s back up a second.

This isn’t the story of Rachel, it’s the story of her sister Kym (Anne Hathaway, BECOMING JANE), a mentally screwed up young woman who finds herself released from a psychiatric hospital in order to attend her sister’s wedding. The big question is “Why is Kym so screwed up?” This is the crux of the film and it is one of its biggest strengths that no film-time is really given over to it and only small hints dropped about what’s caused so much of a rift in this unique family. Apparently Kym had serious drug issues in her youth, and one fateful day she was driving her little brother around and had a horrible accident which caused his death. Never fully recovering from this terrible incident, Kym’s psychiatric recover was obviously fraught with difficulties.

We later learn that some of this blame can be firmly placed on her family. Some of it on her father (who refuses to acknowledge his family’s problems), but most of it on her mother Abby (the estimable Debra Winger) who knew about Kym’s drug problems but let her care of her brother anyway.

The best part of Rachel Getting Married is that it doesn’t force this main issue and lets it slide into our consciousness with the creeping nature of a thriller. It was also nice to see Anne Hathaway in a not-so-nice role; her character was neither empathetic nor evil, but simply a person with huge issues who doesn’t get any help from her family and isn’t able to handle it herself.

Where the film falls is during the wedding’s build-up (which is what surrounds these events). We never really get to know Rachel’s future husband nor why Rachel’s family is so into music (they just are), even though much time is given over to scenes depicting both music and Rachel’s future husband’s association with it. There’s also a ridiculous but funny scene in which a dishwasher loading contest takes place. Okay. Funny. But what was the point?

It is strange, too, that the film is listed as a dramatic comedy, but don’t be fooled. There’s very little comedy to be found here. Much of it is downright depressing, if not insightful. So be prepared.