Rachel Getting Married
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 54 minutes
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Starring:
Anne Hathaway - Kym
Rosemarie DeWitt - Rachel
Mather Zickel - Kieran
Bill Irwin - Paul
Anna Deavere Smith - Carol
Anisa George - Emma
Tunde Adebimpe - Sidney
Debra Winger - Abby
When Rachel Getting Married ends, you may be surprised to see whose name comes up as the film's director. With a low-key look and Anne Hatheway as the only A-list star in the cast, it would seem like this would be a film more from the likes of someone like Noam Baumbach or another indie director who's built his or her reputation on small character pieces. But it's actually Jonathan Demme who refuses to be pigeonholed even though his signature work is and will always be Silence of the Lambs. After striking out with atrocious Hollywood remakes The Truth About Charlie and The Manchurian Candidate and then retreating to biographical documentaries like Neil Young: Heart of Gold and Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains, Demme returns with a very simple and heartfelt story of a family struggle to heal from the deepest of wounds during the happiest of occasions.
Kym (Hatheway) is attending her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) big wedding and she's bringing the tremendous baggage of just getting out of rehab and a drug addiction that has torn her family apart. Kym spends the weekend trying to cope with her family and everything that remains unsaid. Naturally, this leads to conflict and Rachel feels that Kym has stolen all the attention and all the sympathy and now it's happening again when the focus should be on Rachel. While we spend most of the film with Kym, Demme's handheld digital camera leaves us an objective observer and it's up to Hatheway's performance to determine how we feel about Kym. Do we pity her? Do we despise her? It's a complex performance and Hatheway conveys such a sense of sadness while trying to be more than her actions that it's constantly compelling to watch this woman desperately trying to recover from a wound that will never heal. While her sin is almost larger than life (and I won't spoil it even though you'll probably be able to figure it out before it's officially revealed), Rachel Getting Married remains a very human story about a fractured family trying to come together for a joyous occasion.
While Hatheway will probably end up getting all the acclaim and awards hype, I have to applaud Bill Irwin in a strong supporting performance as the girls' father. He's constantly trying to play peacemaker and he clearly loves both his daughters and to see one so damaged while still trying to give the other adequate attention on her special day is a rich role and he plays it beautifully.
But the film's real star is Demme. No film this year has delivered such a palatable atmosphere as Rachel Getting Married. You are a member of the wedding party and we're witness to these events but rarely in a voyeuristic fashion. With lesser known actors, Rachel Getting Married could almost convincingly be a documentary. However, near the end, that reality begins to work against the film as the weekend becomes a little too long and we haven't had a moment's rest. Also, after a powerful second act climax, the film doesn't really seem to know what to do and instead of staying true to the human emotions that powered it to this point, it opts for pat relationships and simple resolutions.
But despite the film's loss of energy at the end, Hatheway's performance and Demme's direction make this a must-see. It's a sweet, funny, and human film that feels honest even if it's a bit melodramatic at times.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
8.28.07