Member review

“Four Weddings and a Funeral” was an international success when it was released in 1994. It became the highest grossing British film ever (at the time), propelling its floppy haired lead, Hugh Grant, into the stratosphere. It is widely considered to be a masterpiece, so I’m going to puncture its overinflated reputation!

To give a balanced scrutiny of “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, I will admit up-front that I am in no way a fan of rom-coms, chick-flicks or soppy romantic films. However, I am a big fan of Richard Curtis’s work, in particular “Mr Bean” and “The Vicar of Dibley.” This is probably why I enjoyed the comedic aspect of “Four Weddings and a Funeral” far more than the lovey-dovey scenes.

As previously mentioned, the comedy is the greatest strength of “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” Whilst I wasn’t a fan of either of the two leads, the supporting cast delivered their lines far more effectively and humorously than Hugh “I play the same person” Grant and Andie “Groundhog” MacDowell.

It is delightful to see Rowan Atkinson in anything (although he is criminally underused here); I would have enjoyed “Four Weddings” far more if his bumbling Vicar character had been the protagonist. James Fleet is excellent, even if he plays the exact same character that he portrays in “The Vicar of Dibley.” Unfortunately, the reason that these two actors stand out from the rest of the cast is less of a plus-point for this film, but more due to my investment in other British comedy properties.

Where “Four Weddings” falls spectacularly short is during the romantic scenes. In my unpopular opinion, Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell have no chemistry whatsoever.

Although I have enjoyed some of Grant’s work (… ok just “Paddington 2”), his character, protagonist Charles, is a blank slate, a dull non-entity who mumbles and stammers his way through the film. I 100% do not buy him as an irresistible heart-throb that many people seem to think he is. Whilst he does crack some amusing jokes in “Four Weddings”, his character is so bland and uninteresting that I didn’t care about his journey at all.

Carrie, played by Andie MacDowell, is quite possibly one of the worst film love interests that I have encountered in a long, long time. Throughout the nearly 2 hour run-time I was completely confused by her motivations. The audience are led to believe that she and Charles are falling in love, but then we discover that she is going to marry some rich old bloke (what a twist.) Despite the fact that she is in a relationship with somebody else, she still toys with the affections of the smitten (and stupid) Charles. Even though the end of “Four Weddings” is played as a happy “They all lived happily ever after” conclusion, I saw it as a depressing finale, as the master manipulator finally ensnared the hero of the story into a relationship. I honestly cannot fathom how any of the filmmakers believed that anyone could invest in such a manipulative, cruel and questionable character!

To summarise, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” is a good comedy being garrotted by a poorly constructed love story. If you are a fan of British comedy, there are dozens of other movies and TV shows that deserve your attention. If you love romances, you will probably enjoy this.