Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Directed by: Jonathan Demme | 114 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mather Zickel, Bill Irwin, Anna Deavere Smith, Anisa George, Tunde Adebimpe, Debra Winger, Jerome Le Page, Beau Sia, Dorian Missick, Kyrah Julian, Carol Jean Lewis, Herreast Harrison, Gonzales Joseph, Paul Lazar, Donald Harrison Jr., Fab 5 Freddy, Robert W. Castle, Tareq Abboushi, Johnny Farraj, Gaida Hinnawi, Dimitrios Mikelis, Big Jim Wheeler, Amir El Saffar, Jimmy Joe Roche, Christy Pusz, Molly Hickok

Anyone who thinks of a nice romantic comedy to swoon over the title ‘Rachel Getting Married’ will be disappointed. On the contrary: the film is a harrowing and impressive family drama set around the titular wedding. Also, Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) is not the main character, that is her sister Kym (Anne Hathaway). She is allowed a weekend out of the rehab where she is staying to attend Rachel’s wedding.

Hathaway has a phenomenal lead role, which deservedly earned her an Oscar nomination. As the unstable Kym, she lands the best role of her career so far. Her Kym is a fully developed character, with a great sense of nuance and both sympathetic and less sympathetic traits, but always believable. Unfortunately, you see the clichéd dirt-spouting protagonist-with-a-golden-heart in Hollywood all too often, but her impressive acting performance makes Kym so much more than that.

But Hathaway isn’t the only one whose acting performances impress. The other actors who play her immediate family members are also not indifferent. Bill Irwin plays the caring and concerned father Paul, who has an inner battle over his love for Kym and the greatest tragedy of his life. Paul is now married to Carol (Anna Deavere Smith), but Rachel and Kym’s mother is Abby (Debra Winger). Smith and Winger play two opposites and do it effectively. Smith is like a stepmother, busy in the background, but realizing that her job in the family demands it. Winger, on the other hand, as Abby, has completely isolated herself from her daughters emotionally and that leads to painful situations. DeWitt is a Rachel who – understandably – comes across as somewhat selfish. It’s her wedding and as soon as Kym walks in, she gets a lot of (negative) attention. As a dysfunctional family portrait, it produces intense scenes that rub against the soul.

The sharp screenplay, written by the debuting Jenny Lumet (daughter of director Sidney), is refreshing despite the theme that has been shown more often and sets the characters down in a striking and catchy way. Director Jonathan Demme gets very close to his actors, with handheld cameras and grainy close-up shots. This not only captures Hathaway’s large Bambi eyes at unexpected moments, but also gives the viewer the feeling of being part of the wedding preparations. And that’s exactly the point.

The film strongly evokes the feeling that the viewer himself is a guest at Rachel’s wedding, walking through the rooms, not quite sure how the mutual relationships are and repeatedly encountering the pain and joy of the family. The black in-laws, on the other hand, are hardly mentioned, although their view of the events themselves could also have been interesting. Unfortunately, the role of the groom Sidney (singer Tunde Adebimpe) remains underexposed.

Demme has further filled his cast with all kinds of well-known and lesser-known artists, who musically frame the multicultural wedding. The only music heard in the film is made “live” by the actors and ranges from folk to rap to world music. The interesting combination of styles, coupled with the Indian theme of the wedding, is taken a bit too far and some musical segments are too long. The same goes for some speeches. But that is sometimes the case at a real wedding. As a slice of life, the film provides a psychologically strong insight into the devastating effects that drugs can have on a family life, without making Kym a victim or perpetrator. With this, ‘Rachel Getting Married’ has become an honest and astonishing drama that offers food for thought and cannot simply be put out of your mind.