Four Weddings and a Funeral [Blu-ray]

 

 

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Four Weddings and a Funeral (comedy, romance, drama)
Directed by Mike Newell
Starring Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Simon Callow and James Fleet

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | 1994 | 117 min | Rated R | Released Jan 11, 2011

Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Italian: DTS 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: DTS 5.1
Polish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles:
English SDH, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, French, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Discs:
Single 50GB Blu-ray Disc

The Film 3.5/5

Four Weddings and a Funeral was released in 1994 and was a breakout role for Hugh Grant. If you have seen Notting Hill, Love Actually or the Bridget Jones movies, you'll know that Grant plays similar characters in every movie. Writer Richard Curtis wrote all of those screenplays and understands what Grant can do. He typically plays eloquent characters who are a bit confused about what they want in life. He has great comic timing and plays his roles with a lot of charm.

The movie opens with Charles (Grant) late for a wedding. We see him dash around with his flatmate, Scarlett, and drive like a maniac to reach the church on time. He's the best man, but he's forgotten to bring the rings. This opening sequence is pretty funny and sets the scene well.

Almost all of the action takes place at the four weddings and the funeral mentioned in the title. We are introduced to Charles and his friends, and they appear at every wedding. Tom (Fleet) is one of the richest men in Britain, but is clueless about women and doesn't have a girlfriend. He's amusing and harmless and reminds me of Colin Firth's character in Love Actually. Gareth embraces life and throws himself into any situation without stopping to worry whether he's making a fool of himself, while Matthew is his lover.

The story is full of good observations about human behavior. If you have ever been to a wedding, you'll recognize the types of character portrayed in the movie. Some are there because they genuinely want to be, but others tag along as an excuse to get drunk or to seek romantic partners of their own. Some are touching and others are embarrassing or annoying.

At the first wedding, Charles encounters Carrie (MacDowell). He likes her instantly and changes his plans so that he stays at the same inn. They have a romantic moment, but it quickly ends when Carrie announces that she has to return to America.

The rest of the movie shows meetings between Charles and Carrie at each of the weddings. Their situations change each time, but it's clear that they like each other. Charles runs into previous girlfriends continually, but considers marriage as something to be avoided for the most part. In contrast, Gareth thinks marriage is a good way to get out of a boring conversation.

Charles has a brother, David, who is deaf and communicates through sign language. That sets up a few of the funnier scenes when Charles lies about what David is saying. Another interesting character is Father Gerald; a young priest played by Rowan Atkinson. Most American viewers will know him as Mr. Bean, but he's appeared in numerous movies of this type as well as Blackadder, which was a TV series also written by Curtis. Father Gerald isn't a very good priest, but he'll probably make you laugh.

The movie succeeds because the characters are believable and similar to people we have encountered in our own lives. It's easy to identify with the main characters because the story rings true. It's above average in terms of romantic comedies and also works as pure comedy. Even if you don't care about Charles and Carrie, there's plenty to smile at. I wouldn't rate Four Weddings and a Funeral up there with Love Actually, but it's worth seeing.

Video Quality 3.5/5
Unless you bought Target's exclusive version in January, this is the first time you'll have had the chance to see Four Weddings and a Funeral on Blu-ray. The result is a clear upgrade, as you would expect, but it's not a stellar transfer by any means. The movie is plagued with minor scratches and dirt throughout the 118 minutes. The image is soft at times and clarity never threatens to dazzle the viewer. Colors are accurate, but a little subdued. I briefly considered a 3/5 rating, but I think most of the presentation deserves the extra half point. Fans of the movie should buy it, but temper expectations.

Audio Quality 4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is more than adequate, but this isn't the kind of movie that makes full use of sound. It consists of dialogue-driven scenes for the most part, although the surrounds do add depth in the wedding reception scenes. I thought I detected minor sync issues in a couple of places, but they were brief.

Special Features 3/5

The special features are all presented in standard definition and were included on the DVD version of the movie.

Commentary with Director Mike Newell, Producer Duncan Kenworthy and Writer Richard Curtis.

In the Making (7:45)

The Wedding Planners (29:48) - A longer look at how the movie was made.

Two Actors and a Director (5:41) - Explaining how Grant and MacDowell were chosen for the lead roles.

Deleted Scenes (4:02) - Six brief scenes.

Promotional Spots (3:26)

Theatrical Trailer (2:08)

Four Weddings and a Funeral is a lot of fun, and works well for fans of British humor. Grant and MacDowell play their roles well. The Blu-ray offers a reasonable upgrade and is worth adding to your collection if you're a fan of the movie or if you like romantic comedies. The price is very attractive at the moment and is readily available for under $12.

Overall score 3.5/5

Woah, be gentle...I can't believe these bad reviews. There are all kinds of movies and this is a comedy of manners and characterizations! Do you have to love the HAMLET household to love Shakespeare...nay. The play Hamlet has awful characters... so what?

Andie plays a very unhappy woman, Hugh plays a very insecure man and the others are just what they are; either flawed, plain, charming, arrogant or whatever. This film is well filmed and well written with funny moments, especially because of the performances. I'm not giving away those moments, just see this movie it is far better than most comedies coming out of American cinema these days, so enjoy!

Yet another smashing British comedy. Yes . . . Yes . . . It would have been perfect if not for Andie MacDowell.

The movie carries on rather wittily (if not cynically) as seven friends: one pair of siblings: Charles and Scarlet; another pair of siblings, decidedly richer: Fiona and Tom; a pair of homosexual lovers: Garreth and Matthew; and a deaf man: David; attend four weddings (one being Charles'own) and a funeral with a particular air of skepticism.

Hugh Grant plays the main character, Charles, who in the first wedding is the best man, the tardy best man. During the reception, Charles falls in love with Andie MacDowell's character, the uncharismatic Carrie. That night the two "make love." The following morning is another wedding at which Tom is the best man (hilarious wedding indeed!) and Charles arrives late again. He finds Carrie's there also to discover that she is engaged to a Scottish "gentle"man, after which the two end up in bed again. Over the course of the movie, and after a considerable period since their last lovemaking session, Charles receives Carrie's wedding invitation and the gift list. She asks him to help her pick out a wedding dress, then accompanies her to coffee where she gives him the lowdown on her thirty-three sex partners. Charles actually attends her Scottish wedding (still in love with her). After which he decides to settle down with a woman who, for lack of a better word, stalked him after they dated. Carrie shows up, confesses her divorce to Scottish bloke, and her love for Charles.

In the end Charles denies his bride at the altar and lives happily ever after with Carrie after she agrees that she will not marry him.

Yes, it' just that empty. Only where Charles and Carrie are concerned, though!

MacDowell is just . . . all wrong for this movie. How Grant's character could still love her after he discovered she was a jaunty harlot (33?!) and engaged escapes me! MacDowell wasn't even a likeable harlot (Kristin Scott Thomas's character, Fiona, said it right: American slut). Her plain country voice just clashed horribly with Grant's charming British one. Nothing she said was funny. She just should not have been here. Another American actress would have been better suited, or a British actress even better.

Having said that, the rest of the movie is fantastic. Most of the humor is laughable, at other times it is clever without being sidesplitting, like most British humor.

James Fleet is wonderful as the bumbling Tom.
Simon Callow is perfectly cast as the flamboyant Gareth whose funeral is the Funeral from the title.
John Hannah has a lot of chemistry as Gareth's Scottish lover, Matthew, the more optimistic of the group.
Kristen Scott Thomas brilliantly plays Fiona, the more critical of the seven because of her secret feelings for Charles.
Charlotte Coleman is Charles' sister, Scarlett: the wild child with scarlet hair.
David Bower is the deaf David who, despite speaking in sign language, adds to the film (whereas Andie MacDowell, who spoke often, contributed nothing).
And of course Hugh Grant is Charles, the convincing bachelor who falls into an unconvincing relationship that flaws the movie.

Highly Recommended!

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1.0 out of 5 stars Overrated Piece of Garbage
I can't believe this movie was a hit, unless I saw a different movie with the same title.

We are given the rare priviledge spending time around a bunch of shallow, annoying,... Read more

Published on July 5 2004 by Michael D. Donovan

1.0 out of 5 stars Not enough funerals
If it's possible for a movie to be any worse, I don't know how. Oh, that's right... LOVE ACTUALLY!

This meandering, pointless hodgepodge of unsympathetic and amoral characters... Read more

Published on May 8 2004 by J. Kazmierski

3.0 out of 5 stars A romantic comedy which lacks chemistry.
I had heard so many good things about this film that when I finally saw it, I was surprised to find it so very disappointing. Read more

Published on April 22 2004 by Monika

1.0 out of 5 stars Beyond awful characters...
Deliriously unfunny flick about Dysfunctional British White Trash Set starring that English guy with sticky big tooth grin who can't stop "acting" as if were 14 years old (O.K. Read more

Published on Mar 19 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars God, it's awful
What a hideous movie! I was furious when it was done because I had just wasted two hours watching a movie that has nothing to recommend it. Read more

Published on Mar 16 2004 by Daisy

3.0 out of 5 stars heroine must be likeable, and andie is not
ok. i loved the british characters. they were funny, touching, and altogether sympathetic. i would have preferred kristin scott thomas's character as the heroine, but oh well... Read more

Published on Feb 14 2004 by Juniper

3.0 out of 5 stars andie embarrasses americans in this british comedy
ok. i loved the british characters. they were funny, touching, and altogether sympathetic. i would have preferred kristin scott thomas's character as the heroine, but oh well... Read more

Published on Feb 14 2004 by Juniper

5.0 out of 5 stars Frequently Watched Movies
I frequently watch Four Weddings because it's a marvelously funny and classy movie. Several years ago I would never have believed that Hugh Grant could be a serious actor, but now... Read more

Published on Feb 10 2004 by Richard J. Wallace

4.0 out of 5 stars Hugh Grant playing Hugh Grant, as only he can
A runaway bestseller of a romantic comedy in England's best tradition. Tongue-in-cheek performances by Hugh Grant playing the bumbling, shambling, confused, stammering, charming,... Read more

Published on Nov 24 2003 by Peggy Vincent

5.0 out of 5 stars I watch this once a month
My title says it all. This film is a classic, especially for people who enjoy ensemble casts. No one character is stronger than another, even though Hugh Grant is the "big... Read more

Published on Sep 12 2003 by moonfishlane

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