Four Weddings and a Funeral
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| Four Weddings and a Funeral | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
|
| Directed by | Mike Newell |
| Produced by | Duncan Kenworthy Working Title Films Channel Four Films |
| Written by | Richard Curtis |
| Starring | Hugh Grant Andie MacDowell |
| Music by | Richard Rodney Bennett |
| Distributed by | 1994 UK theatrical Rank Film Distributors 1994 USA theatrical Gramercy Pictures Present day Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) |  9 March 1994 5 May 1994 13 May 1994 10 June 1994 |
| Running time | 117 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English British Sign Language |
| IMDb profile | |
Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It was the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant. The film was an unexpected success, becoming the highest-grossing British film in cinema history with worldwide box office in excess of $244 million worldwide.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The film follows the adventures of a group of friends through the eyes of Charles, a frequently tongue-tied and faux pas-prone Englishman, played by Grant, who is smitten by Carrie, an attractive American played by MacDowell and repeatedly meets her at weddings and at a funeral.
The first wedding is that of Angus and Laura (Timothy Walker and Sara Crowe). Charles and his collection of single friends are concerned that they will never get married. At this wedding, Charles meets Carrie for the first time and spends the night with her, but she regards it as a one-night stand.
The second wedding is that of Bernard and Lydia (David Haig and Sophie Thompson), a couple who had met at the previous wedding. This sequence features Rowan Atkinson in a cameo as an inexperienced priest. The reception is not an enjoyable one for Charles, who finds himself seated on a table with several ex-girlfriends, as well as bumping into Henrietta (known by his friends as "Duckface"), with whom he has had a difficult relationship in the past. His terrible evening is completed when he hears that Carrie is engaged to Hamish, a wealthy Scottish politician.
During the interim period, Charles meets Carrie while searching for an affordable wedding present and ends up helping to choose her wedding dress. He later confesses to her that if her wedding is unsuccessful, he would like to have a relationship with her.
The third wedding is that of Carrie at a Scottish castle. Charles attends, depressed. At the reception, Charles's friend Fiona confesses that she has always loved him, but Charles does not requite her love. At the wedding Charles's friend Gareth (Simon Callow) dies suddenly of a heart attack.
The funeral is that of Gareth. At the funeral, Gareth's lover Matthew (John Hannah in one of his first screen roles) recites the poem Funeral Blues ("Stop all the clocks...") by W. H. Auden. Charles and Tom (James Fleet) have a discussion about the nature of true love.
The fourth wedding is that of Charles, who has decided to marry Henrietta out of desperation. However, at the wedding, he meets Carrie, who has separated from her husband. At the altar, when the vicar asks if anyone knows a reason why the couple should not marry, Charles's deaf brother David (David Bower) uses sign language to announce that Charles doesn't love Henrietta. Henrietta punches Charles and the wedding is abruptly halted.
At the end, Carrie visits Charles, who is recovering from the debacle, to apologise for attending. Charles confesses that he finally realised the person he would like to spend his life with was not the woman he stood by at the altar. They vow that they will never, ever get married. The end credits show a montage of photographs documenting the futures of other characters in the film. All are shown on their individual wedding days except for Fiona, who is shown sitting next to Prince Charles and lastly Carrie and Charles along with their baby boy.
[edit] Soundtrack
The original score was composed by British classical composer Richard Rodney Bennett. The movie also featured a crowd-pleasing soundtrack of popular songs, including a cover version of Love Is All Around performed by Wet Wet Wet that remained at number 1 in the British charts for fifteen weeks and was then the ninth (now twelfth) biggest selling single of all time in Britain.
[edit] Principal cast
- Hugh Grant: Charles
- Andie MacDowell: Carrie
- James Fleet: Tom
- Simon Callow: Gareth
- John Hannah: Matthew
- Kristin Scott Thomas: Fiona
- David Bower: David
- Charlotte Coleman: Scarlett
- Rowan Atkinson: Father Gerald
- Anna Chancellor: Henrietta ("Duckface")
[edit] Awards and recognition
[edit] Award wins
- BAFTA Award for Best Film
- César Award for Best Foreign Film
- BAFTA David Lean Award for Direction - Mike Newell
- BAFTA Award for Best Actor - Hugh Grant
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Hugh Grant
- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Kristin Scott Thomas
[edit] Award nominations
- Academy Award for Best Picture
- Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Andie MacDowell
- Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay (Richard Curtis)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture (Richard Curtis)
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (Mike Newell)
[edit] Recognition
The film was voted the 27th greatest comedy film of all time by readers of Total Film in 2000. In 2004, the same magazine named it the 34th greatest British film of all time. It is number 96 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".
[edit] Popular culture references
The film's title became a popular catchphrase at the time.
- On an episode of The Simpsons, an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon was called Four Funerals and a Wedding, a joke that was also used in Harry Enfield and Chums.
- In The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Shakespeare's comedies are grouped together under the title Four Weddings and a Transvestite.
- In Ocean's Twelve, Linus Caldwell makes the mistaken assumption that Julia Roberts, who plays a character in the film that is meant to closely resemble the real-life actress, was in Four Weddings and a Funeral, which Julia Roberts' character disputes.
- In an episode of Married....with Children Al and Peggy are in a video store trying to pick a video to watch. When Peggy asks if he'd like to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral, Al responds "That's five of the same thing!"
[edit] See also
- Notting Hill, also written by Curtis and starring Grant.
[edit] References
- ^ Business Data for Four Weddings and a Funeral Internet Movie Database, accessed February 15, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Four Weddings and a Funeral at the Internet Movie Database
- Four Weddings and a Funeral at All Movie Guide
- Four Weddings and a Funeral at the TCM Movie Database
| Preceded by Schindler's List |
BAFTA Award for Best Film 1995 |
Succeeded by Sense and Sensibility tied with The Usual Suspects |
