| Betsy's Wedding | |
|---|---|
Promotional movie poster for the film |
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| Directed by | Alan Alda |
| Produced by | Martin Bregman Louis A. Stroller |
| Written by | Alan Alda |
| Starring | Alan Alda Molly Ringwald Ally Sheedy Madeline Kahn Joe Pesci Joey Bishop Anthony LaPaglia Burt Young Catherine O'Hara |
| Music by | Bruce Broughton |
| Cinematography | Kelvin Pike |
| Editing by | Michael E. Polakow |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 22, 1990 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $36 million |
| Box office | $19,740,070 |
Betsy's Wedding is a 1990 American comedy film written, directed by and starring Alan Alda. It co-stars Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Madeline Kahn, Joey Bishop, Joe Pesci, Anthony LaPaglia, Burt Young and Catherine O'Hara.
Contents |
Eddie Hopper is a construction contractor from Long Island, New York, with two grown daughters. One of them, Betsy, is about to be married.
Money is tight in the Hopper household, but Eddie, much to the distress of his wife, Lola, decides that it is important to throw a lavish wedding to impress the well-off family of the man Betsy is to marry. Everyone in the family is throwing advice Eddie's way, even the ghost of his father.
A new house Eddie is building is adding to his financial and emotional woes. In desperation, he turns to his crooked brother-in-law, Oscar, who ends up getting Eddie involved with loan sharks. A young man named Stevie Dee is sent to keep an eye on Eddie, but instead turns his gaze to Connie Hopper, who is not only a police officer but the other daughter of the father of the bride.
The plot was reportedly inspired by the marriage of Alda's youngest daughter.
While the film was not critically well-received (with comments such as "threadbare concoction"[1], "narcissism flourishing like ragweed" and "unctuous"[2] peppering the reviews), it has been cited as launching the movie career of Anthony LaPaglia.[3]
The film received mixed reviews from critics with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 50% rating. It was also nominated for two Razzie Awards including Worst Actress for Molly Ringwald and Worst Supporting Actress for Ally Sheedy.