Four Weddings and a Funeral

Plot synopsis:
In the beginning of the film, we see that Charles (Hugh Grant), a confirmed British bachelor and serial monogamist, lives with his tone-deaf sister Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman) in London. The pair are habitually late to weddings (as we gather from remarks made by others at the wedding they attend late right now, which is the first wedding in the film). At the wedding, Charles meets Carrie, an American (Andie McDowell) and ends up spending the night with her. Also at the wedding, David (David Bower), the deaf younger brother of Charles and Scarlett, is targeted as an object of affection by a guest. We see that Fiona (Kristin Scott-Thomas) and Tom (James Fleet) are brother and sister and very wealthy and Gareth (Simon Callow) and Matthew (John Hannah) are a gay couple. We also briefly meet Bernard and Lydia who are at the wedding. Bernard (David Haig) likes Lydia (Sophie Thompson), but she dismisses him, saying that she is not as desperate as that. As the friends leave the wedding, we see Bernard and Lydia kissing passionately.Charles ends up spending the night with Carrie and is surprised to see that she is leaving in the morning and returning back to America. The next thing we know, Charles and Scarlett are late again to wedding number 2 in the film, that of Bernard and Lydia. Father Gerald (Rowan Atkinson) officiates the service, his first, and seems to be unable to say the names of the bride and groom right and some other cues for added humor (Rowan needs no introduction of course).Charles is elated to see Carrie at the wedding, until she introduces him to her fiance, a boorish, Scottish politician who is much older than she. To top things off, Charles is stuck at a table with four of his ex girlfriends. The girl who liked David introduces herself to him in faulty sign language and he is enchanted with her. Despite the fact she is engaged, Carrie sleeps with Charles again that evening after her fiance has gone off to Scotland. We now see that the two really care for one another.The interim is when Charles receives an invitation to Carrie's wedding to Hamish Banks (Corin Redgrave) in Scotland. He goes to a very expensive store to choose a gift and meets Carrie. They spend a few hours shopping for her wedding dress and having a drink in a pub where Carrie reveals that she has had 33 lovers. After they part, Charles rushes off to tell Carrie that he loves her, but stops short. Instead, he refers to the "words of David Cassidy" which is the song "I Think I Love You." Carrie is affected, but kisses him on the cheek and moves on.The next wedding is the third in the film and is that of Carrie and Hamish in Scotland. It is here where Scarlett meets a tall Texan named Chester (Randall Paul) who fancies her. Gareth tells everyone to find spouses for themselves. We find out that Fiona has been in love with Charles since she has known him and she reveals this to the stunned Charles and a table mate. Tragedy strikes when Gareth dies suddenly, presumably of a heart attack, at the wedding.Now is time for the funeral - that of Gareth. Matthew gives the eulogy, which is the poem "Funeral Blues" by WH Auden. Carrie attends the funeral and sees Charles. Charles and Tom end up talking and Tom says that he is not waiting for the lightening bolt to hit, he just wants to meet someone and settle down.We then see an invitation for the fourth wedding, Charles and xxxx. The audience does not know that he will be marrying Henrietta, his slightly wacky ex-girlfriend who was at weddings 2 and 3. The friends get to the wedding where Tom meets his distant relative while seating the guests and feels "the thunderbolt." Carrie appears at the wedding and tells Charles that she is separated from Hamish and that their timing has been very bad. Charles does not know what to do - he loves Carrie but is now committed to marrying Henrietta (Anna Chancellor).David, who now is very steady with the young lady who learned sign language is at the wedding along with Scarlet and Chester. When Charles stays in the back of the church and asks Tom to delay the wedding, David wants to know what is going on. He tells Charles that he has three choices - he can go on with the wedding or tell everyone that the wedding is off. He says he can't think of number three.Charles stands with Henrietta to get married and when the priest asks for objections, David comes up with the third idea. He objects to the wedding. He asks Charles to translate for him and says that the groom loves someone else. When the priest asks if he does love someone else, Charles answers "I do" and gets punched in the eye by the bride. Chaos erupts at the church.The next scene is in the home of Charles and Scarlett with all the friends present. Carrie comes to the door and Charles, in the rain and outside, finally starts to let some of his feelings out. He asks her if she will agree "not to marry him" for the rest of their lives. Carrie answers "I do."The song "Going To The Chapel" is then played as we see Henrietta marry a member of the guard, Scarlett marry Chester, David marry his girlfriend, Tom marry the distant relative, Matthew with a new partner (Duncan Kenworthy), Fiona marrying Prince Charles, and Charles and Carrie with their son, presumably not married.

Tags: cult, comedy, romantic

Review:
The effects of personal want, need, love and desire on the friendships of a circle of eclectic individuals is examined with a spot of humor in the witty, clever and oh-so-British comedy of love, romance and finding that special someone, `Four Weddings and a Funeral,' directed by Mike Newell.
Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell head a delightful ensemble cast in this story of a group of long-time friends, all single, who watch and participate over a period of months as one by one those amongst them step up at last to the altar.
W.C. Fields played the hen-pecked husband in a number of films, finally perfecting that particular character in the person of Harold Bissonette in `It's A Gift.'  For Hugh Grant, it's the retiring, somewhat self-conscious and stammering, eyelid fluttering charmer, of which he's done a variation in such films as `Sense and Sensibility,' `The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill, But Came Down A Mountain,' Notting Hill' and `Mickey Blue Eyes.'  But Charles is his definitive portrayal of that character, the one in which he achieves the balance and honesty that makes the character so believable.
Also turning in especially noteworthy performances are John Hannah as Matthew; Kristin Scott Thomas, who is quite alluring as Fiona; James Fleet as Tom, a character very reminiscent of his Hugo in the TV series `The Vicar of Dibley,' (and very effective here); Charlotte Coleman, memorable in the role of Scarlett; and Rowan Atkinson as the hapless Father Gerald.
American hacks should take note:  it's possible to write comedy based on the battle of the sexes that doesn't rely on misogyny and gross-out humor.Hugh Grant at his most charming leads a talented ensemble cast in this warm-hearted tale of unrequited and requited love that so impressed stodgy Academy voters it actually got a Best Picture nomination.
The essence of good romantic comedy is what Curtis and director Mike Newell capture particularly well in this film (more effectively than Curtis' other Grant hit, NOTTING HILL) and it's this:  love makes us do stupid things.
The film starts with a wedding at which Charles is best man to Angus, one of his old friends, and at which he meets Carrie, an attractive young American woman.
The film then traces the ups and downs of the relationship of Charles and Carrie, via two more weddings (the second of which is Carrie's own, after she and Charles have split up), the funeral of Gareth, another friend of Charles who suffers a heart attack while dancing at Carrie's wedding, and one final marriage ceremony.Hugh Grant, as Charles, gives a very good performance.
There are some subtle differences between Charles and William, the character Grant played in "Notting Hill", another romantic comedy written by Curtis.
The change in Charles's character is partly due to the fact that he sees his carefree bachelor world disappearing as most of his friends get married, but the event which seems to have the greatest effect on him is Gareth's funeral, at which a moving eulogy is read by Matthew, Gareth's gay partner, touchingly played by John Hannah.
Am I, incidentally, the only one to have liked Andie MacDowell's performance?- she has come in for a lot of criticism, in my view undeserved, on this board.The film is, however, more than simply a study of relationships- it is also very funny with some superb lines.
I was less impressed by Simon Callow as Gareth, loud, extrovert and excessively hearty (like most characters Callow plays).To sum up, this was a very good film indeed; proof that the British cinema can produce romantic comedies as good as Hollywood at its best.
The lead character in this film, Charles, says at one point that, while  his friends were busily obsessed with marriage, two members of their  group were, for all intents and purposes, married to each other.
With "Four  Weddings and a Funeral," director Mike Newell has made one of the best  romantic comedies, and the film holds up to repeated viewings..
"Four Weddings And A Funeral" is indeed a delightful little comedy with some wondeful writing and polished performances.Hugh Grant shines in a role that unfortunately left Him typecast to this day (for a different side of Grant see his brilliant Fredrich Chopin in "Impromptu".) and Kristen Scott Thomas is perfect as the enigmatic Fiona...witty,beautiful and touching.
What would make us want this woman to win our beloved Charlie (Hugh Grant) (who is also something of a cad, but a loveable one)?Carrie might not have been so unpalatable if they'd found an actress who could actually ACT to play her, but instead, they hired Andie MacDowell, who may be pretty, but is as stiff and lifeless as the scenery.
You want to adore this movie, because everything about it is so perfect, except for the fact that you hate Andie MacDowell' s character with a passion and wish that she would die so that Charlie could find happiness with a woman who can act..
The film deals with a British bachelor (Hugh Grant) who continues to run into a beautiful young American (Andie McDowell) at various weddings in England.
As her wedding approaches, Charles begins to realise that his marrying days are fast passing him by and the woman that he loves may never be his.Despite this film "the best British film ever" it has been many years since I last saw it so I decided to watch it again.
I still don't understand what this movie was trying to say.I was 100% rooting for Hugh Grant (Charles) to end up with either of the two eligible women who are actually loyal and devoted to him, and who don't treat him and his feelings dismissively throughout the entire film, as Carrie does.So terribly disappointing..
Hugh Grant's character - the same one he plays in every film - is sufficiently charming that it can pull you through any number of storybook plots without all that much trouble.But Andie McDowell - and I was so seized by this that I registered on this site just to make this comment, marking the first time I've posted anything on one of these - acts so badly I was squirming in my chair with vicarious embarassment every time she stood in front of the camera.
I think it is also to do with the quality of the acting, with Hugh Grant at his most charming, Andie MacDowell at her most enigmatic and Simon Callow and Kristen Scott-Thomas especially outstanding among the supporting cast.Overall, Four Weddings and a Funeral is a hugely enjoyable and enduring film.
After all, the film was hyped to be the romantic comedy of the year.I somehow managed to watch it completely through (maybe the couple of beers I drank helped me), but neither I could raise a single laugh nor did I find any romantic scene.Hugh Grant "acted" (as usual) like a warmed-up corpse.
Maybe this is what the american audience found so funny, but I found it rather pathetic.After seeing this boring product, I avoid any film that has Hugh Grant in it, since I'm absolutely sure that he ruins them all with his "presence"..
Four Weddings & A Funeral is my favourite British Comedy, Favourite Hugh Grant movie and my favourite Andie MacDowell movie too.Plot In A Paragraph: Over the course of the 5 social arrangements of the title, Charles (Hugh Grant) ponders if he has already met the love of his life in American Carrie (Andie MacDowell) Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell both knock it out if the park as the two leads.
This is one of the funniest, wittiest, cleverest comedy/romances to come out of Great Britain, moving at a quick pace through a series of scenes commemorating FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, with a cast of wonderful British players headed by HUGH GRANT and American actress ANDIE MacDOWELL.The running joke seems to be that Grant never knows what time it is, even though he's scheduled to attend a wedding almost every Saturday of his life.
Grant plays the character in his standard befuddled, confused, yet charming manner and handles the role like a real pro.I'm not an admirer of ANDIE MacDOWELL but she's competent enough as his over-sexed sweetheart, the girl he falls in love with "at first sight", with marriage eluding both of them because of some bad timing.
At last, just when it seems Grant will tie the know with someone else, he comes to his senses (thanks to a hilarious church scene that ends with his would-be bride punching him out of sheer vexation, knocking him flat on the church floor).Delightful performances by the entire cast, with special kudos to JOHN HANNAH, SIMON CALLOW, KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS and ROWAN ATKINSON in great supporting roles.But it's Grant who keeps the thing buoyant and easy to take despite some of the implausibilities in detailing the relationship he has with MacDowell.
Mike Newell directed this British romantic comedy(and sometimes drama) that stars Hugh Grant as Charles, a British man, who, along with his friends attends four different weddings and one funeral of mutual friends or acquaintances.
Although like other romantic-comedies, the primary theme of this film is finding love, but 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' is also very much about friendship.
So this movie beated the 1997 film Titanic at the BAFT awards and just like the Oscars the BAFTA messed up.The story is about Charles and is circle of friends ponder love and marriage - even as they attend weddings (and one funeral).
I was a bit shocked when I find out that this movie won best film at BAFTA awards and knocked the highest grossing movie of all time Titanic, and to the people who liked this movie more than Titanic that's fine but to me in my personal opinion this movie was okay.Let's start of with the positive: The acting from everyone was solid and this movie has a great cast.The movie did make me laugh at times with characters doing whacky things that no normal person would do at a wedding yeah those kind of jokes.I'm not going to spoil anything but these a scene where there are at this funeral and one of the characters give a sad and kind of moving speech.Now for things that didn't work for me: I didn't really think this movie is on the level of amazing as some has put it out to be, I'm saying it's bad I honestly think it's just okay..
This woman is an American called Carrie (played by Andie MacDowell) and she acts like a seductress and slut through the whole film.
The film works around Charles being attracted to Carrie, and his interactions with her at various weddings.Hugh Grant is perfect in the insecure but charming stereotype he has echoed in most of his films; Kristen Scott-Thomas is fairly good, but not great, in a BAFTA award-winning role as Grant's friend, Fiona; and the film itself has a small number of amusing moments, but the film often does not work.For one thing, many of the jokes are not funny.
Unfortunately though, what could have been an excellent comedy has a major flaw.Charles (Hugh Grant) is a likeable chap whose friends are all getting married, leaving him as a sort of perpetual Best Man.
I can honestly say that this was one of those films that needed to have strong definitive characters to make the story work, and Newell accomplished this task with the greatest of ease.While he had done some work prior to this film, America was introduced to a very funny and very British Hugh Grant for the first time.
Writing this review, I can hardly remember what happens in the movie.Mike Newell's film is about a bachelor named Charles and he is seemingly the best man at many weddings.
Humor is the priority of this film, but funny humor, not the stupid humor of nowadays which isn't funny at all.I think that the actors are all good and funny on their roles, but Hugh Grant steals the show as the "alergic to weddings" Charles.
For some strange reason i simply never got around to watching it until many years after all the hype, but the comments did stick in my mind.So here's what i thought - Positives first 1/ It's really well written by Richard Curts, as you would expect after his fantastic work on the Blackadder series.2/ Hugh Grant performs fantastically well in this role which really launched his career to a new level entirely.3/ It's littered with quirky and humorous characters, who all have minor roles, but provide a great deal of entertainment, Rowan Atkinson and Kirstin Scott-Thomas are the names that stand out the most.4/ It's original and entertaining, with many amusing moments.Now the Negatives, well Negative 1/ Andie MacDowell is seriously bland and terribly miscast in the role of Hugh Grant's often absent love interest, so much so she took the shine off the romantic element in this romantic comedy.In summary 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' is good entertainment, that for me failed to live up to all the hype.
Probably because it was the first good comedy to come out of Britain for years, but since then we have seen Notting Hill and Love Actually come from the same writer and i found them both more enjoyable than this.Still worth 7/10 despite MacDowell's poor character portrayal..
Poor Charles!I did think Andie Macdowell was a bit wooden and didn't quite fit in with the rest, but the group of friends were all cast so well, Simon Callow is a superb British actor and made me howl with laughter at the first wedding especially!Hugh Grant is fantastic throughout and makes the film for me, all in all, a film I feel I can watch over and over again!.
It was, in fact, for a long time, the highest-grossing British film ever."Four Weddings and a Funeral" centers around Charles (Grant) and his group of friends.
Then there's Richard Curtis' clever, very funny script, without which the film would be nothing."Four Weddings in a Funeral", while quite different from later Curtis projects like "Bridget Jones's Diary" or "Love Actually", is loaded with lots of romantic, British fun that anyone can and will enjoy..
Through his comedy film, "Four weddings and a funeral", British director Mike Newell gives an excellent idea about how love and marriage are viewed by English people.
The choice of an American actress who is wooed by a flippant British bachelor works well for this film as Andie MacDowell and Hugh Grant remain true to their on screen portrayals.
For example, there's one scene where finds himself stuck at a table with EVERY ONE of his ex-girlfriends, trying to play it off as politely as possible while they take turns freaking out at him.Something to note: Unlike films like "Harry Met Sally" and "Singles" which focus equally on the characters, this movie is essentially from Hugh's viewpoint, and Andie's character is almost peripheral.
You just cannot go wrong with Hugh Grant and romantic comedies, and Four Weddings & a Funeral is the perfect chick flick of romance, humor, and most importantly GREAT CONVERSATION.
Which is good, because, oddly, the film's greatest weakness is its central love story between Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell.
What makes the film work is a calculated (in a good way) mix of political correctness, bawdy "carry-on" English humor and wit, and knowledge of what Anglophile Americans want to see in British characters.
Nevertheless the star of 'Notting Hill' 'Love Actually' and 'Nine months' brings his talents to this charming romantic comedy about a group of thirty-something's who are wishing for a bit more in life.Grant brings his charming acting skills to this 1994 hit where he plays the unlucky in love character Charles who attends weddings all the time but he's always the one in the seats and never the one at the alter.Grant is as great as he always is in this type of role and his partnership alongside 'Groundhog day' star MacDowell is perfect.
The relationship between the two is intense and funny all the way through and is a great watch for older audiences who can appreciate the ideas put forth by the director of 'Harry Potter and the goblet of fire' It's a typical love story with many conventions of the romance genre involving flirtatious conversations, wedding settings, stereotypical husbands, wives and singletons and are all brilliantly conveyed in an enthusiastic plot with likable characters and effect speaking.There are many surprising twists and turns and great laughs consistent throughout, making a very different story to your normal love stories for example 'nine months'.This story follows Grant throughout but there are many different story lines going on with different types of characters.
Hugh Grant gives a good performance as the marriage shy guy and Andie McDowell as his on/off love interest.
Never have I ever felt more irate, more disappointed, more annoyed by an ending of a romance film than I was when I finished watching Mike Newell's Four Weddings and a Funeral.Now don't take that little rant up there as a sign that I think this movie suck.
It funny, it has charisma, great acting, and a great story and even if I don't like the ending, it is not so bad that it sours the movie for me.Have a watch and have a good time..
It has a lot of similarities to another British movie I like, "Notting Hill" in that Hugh Grant is the bumbling but charming man who seems will never get the right girl.Hugh Grant is Charles, and while there are quite a number of good established actors, he is the main focus of the entire story.
And of course one funeral in the middle of it all.I like this movie, it is not a moral play, many of the characters have very questionable morals, but the wedding has a way of ending up in the church.