Betsy's Wedding
| Betsy's Wedding | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alan Alda |
| Produced by |
Martin Bregman Louis A. Stroller |
| Written by | Alan Alda |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Bruce Broughton |
| Cinematography | Kelvin Pike |
| Edited by | Michael E. Polakow |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release date | June 22, 1990 |
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $19,740,070 |
Betsy's Wedding is a 1990 American romantic-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.
Plot
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 bride's sister.
Betsy's wedding ultimately goes on as scheduled, but is disrupted by a torrential downpour of rain.
Cast
- Alan Alda as Eddie Hopper
- Madeline Kahn as Lola Hopper
- Molly Ringwald as Betsy
- Ally Sheedy as Connie
- Joe Pesci as Oscar
- Anthony LaPaglia as Stevie Dee
- Catherine O'Hara as Gloria
- Burt Young as Georgie
- Joey Bishop as Eddie's father
- Dylan Walsh as Jake Lovell
- Larry Block as Barber
Production
The plot was reportedly inspired by the marriage of Alda's youngest daughter.
Reception
Betsy's Wedding received mixed reviews from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 56% rating. Reviews of the film included comments such as "threadbare concoction",[1] "narcissism flourishing like ragweed" and "unctuous".[2]
It was nominated for two Razzie Awards: Worst Actress for Molly Ringwald (who lost to Bo Derek for Ghosts Can't Do It) and Worst Supporting Actress for Ally Sheedy (who lost to Sofia Coppola for The Godfather Part III).
Betsy's Wedding has been cited as launching the movie career of Anthony LaPaglia.[3]
References
- ↑ Benson, Sheila (1990-06-22). "Alan Alda's Talents Spread Too Thin in 'Betsy's Wedding'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- ↑ Rea, Steven (1990-07-01). "Newcomer Is the Life of 'Betsy's Wedding' the Film Hasn't Won Raves from Critics, But Anthony LaPaglia Has Caught Their Eye". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
- ↑ Van Gelder, Lawrence (1991-04-26). "At the Movies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Betsy's Wedding |
- Betsy's Wedding on IMDb
- Betsy's Wedding at the TCM Movie Database
- Betsy's Wedding at AllMovie
- Betsy's Wedding at Rotten Tomatoes
- Betsy's Wedding at Box Office Mojo