aelaycock

Whatever else "Four weddings" achieved, it certainly spawned an awful lot of comic wedding movies. This is not perfect but it is one of the better ones, with generally good quality dialogue, and some committed acting by the protagonists. It's also strongly influenced by the films which get all their laughs from bodily functions and swear words. Kristen Wiig, the star, wrote it herself with help from Annie Mumolo (who puts in an appearance in the airplane sequence).

Annie (Wiig) is to be one of several bridesmaids at her best friend Lillian's wedding (Maya Rudolph). Clever, arty Annie is fully expecting that she will play a major role in proceedings – choosing (or possibly making) the dresses, organising the bridal shower (what we in the UK would call the Hen Party), etc. However, Annie is increasingly sidelined by well-heeled bitchy snob Helen (the brilliant Rose Byrne), who manages to upstage her efforts at every turn. To make matters worse, all the other bridesmaids seem to prefer Helen's spectacular but somewhat derivative ideas to those of Annie.

Annie also has personal issues. She has lost all her money in a cake-making venture, she has no boyfriend and no prospects, she lives in an apartment with a monstrous couple of siblings (Matt Lucas and Rebel Wilson). Her 40-something life is going nowhere. On the plus side she has a one-night stand with Rhodes, a nice Irish policeman (Chris O'Dowd off "The IT crowd"). She then ruins it by walking out on him while he is trying to persuade her to take up her cake-making again; despite the fact that they are clearly made for each other. She loses her job at a jewelry store after a hilarious exchange with a customer involving the C-word, and ends up going back to her mother (the great Jill Clayburgh). Meanwhile the preparations for the wedding are getting more manic and over-the-top.

After a number of wacky incidents, this being a comedy, we know everything will get sorted out. There are some genuinely touching and surprising moments, as well as some which fall a bit flat (I wasn't overly impressed by the airplane sequence to be honest).

A special mention goes to Melissa McCarthy as Megan, whose larger-than-life antics threaten to steal the show a couple of times. Despite some irritating mannerisms, Annie has wit and charm, and we want her to be happy. There seems to be "chemistry" between Wiig and O'Dowd. The film has some really funny moments, and some quite romantic ones. Anyway, I liked the film enough to watch it twice.

Well, "Four weddings" it is not! That movie had so much intricate plotting, witty dialogue, genuine passion and tragedy. You really got involved and it swept you along. This one is basically just a jolly jape with some comedians fooling around in front of a camera. The plot can be told in a few lines. Best man Raif (Rufus Hound) is making a wedding video for his brother Tim (Robert Webb), but discovers that he knows the bride Saskia (Lucy Punch). in fact he was in love with her at school. He knew her as a rebellious character, totally at odds with the rather staid bridegroom. With the wedding preparations in full and frantic flow, Saskia increasingly seeks out the company of Raif, with predictable and dramatic consequences for all concerned. The conceit is that the film is shot using what appears to be a camcorder.

Yes, it's paper-thin and primitive. But actually Rufus Hound and Robert Webb are rather good and charming comedians who are very capable of making you fall off your chair. There are also some fun cameos from Harriet Walter, Miriam Margolyes, the brilliant Michelle Gomez (off the brilliant "Green Wing"), and above all, Angus Barnett as the hysterical vicar.

Within a year I will have forgotten all about this little frolic. But while I was watching it, I enjoyed it and laughed rather a lot. So there.