White Wedding

WHITE WEDDING with Kenneth Nkosi, Rapulana Seiphemo, Jodie Whittaker, Zandile Msutwana and Marcel van Heerden, directed by Jann Turner.

Cinema-goers looking for a funny, big-hearted comedy with characters one can relate to, will enjoy Jann Turner's rather delightful South African film. A road trip movie made on a budget of R6 million, it tells the story of the down-to-earth Elvis (Kenneth Nkosi) who is about to be married. He catches a bus from Johannesburg to Durban where he meets up with his best man, Tumi ("Jerusalema" star, Rapulana Seiphemo). From here the two guys must travel to Cape Town where the lovely Ayunda (Zandile Msutwana) is anxiously awaiting their arrival. Of course nothing goes right on the long journey and when the boys get lost in the Eastern Cape and reluctantly allow British visitor Rose (Jodie Whittaker, who starred opposite Peter 'O Toole in "Venus") to join them, it seems as if their problems can only get worse. Can they make it to the wedding on time? With a splendid leading man turn from the lovable, hilarious Nkosi (he played the cooked lawyer in "Jerusalema"), a warm and winning script (by Seiphemo, Turner and Nkosi) and plenty of romance to go with the laughs, this feel-good comedy hits the spot. "White Wedding" is a sweet, witty film that shows there is a place for everyone in South Africa. Even the old-school Afrikaners have hearts of gold.

MY RATING: 6 out of 10.

This South African movie was somewhat of a surprise. I had initially not really expected much from it, and it being a romantic comedy didn't exactly add to my expectations or excitement.

And now having seen this movie, I can say that it is a good story and it is nicely told. The story is about Elvis (played by Kenneth Nkosi) who is going to marry Ayanda (played by Zandile Msutwana), but he has to travel a long way with his best friend Tumi (played by Rapulana Seiphemo) before he can get to stand at the altar. And, of course, the road ahead is turbulent and full of obstacles and surprises.

For a romantic comedy, then "White Wedding" is a fairly straight forward type, and doesn't really offer much new to the genre. But that being said, it was a nice and heartfelt story.

The movie was nicely acted by the people on the cast list, and it was refreshing to see an entirely cast of all new faces on the screen.

I am rating this movie a 5 out of 10 rating, because it is enjoyable, but I am not overly keen on romantic comedies in general. Plus it lacked moments that would have the audience laughing out loud. There were moments that would make you smile, but not really laugh. And it was a shame that the movie lacked that, because it would have made the movie much better. But the lack of laughs, is made up for with a very real story and characters you can relate to.

Set against South Africa's breathtaking landscapes, WHITE WEDDING is a high-spirited modern day road comedy about love, commitment, intimacy, friendship, and the unbelievable obstacles that can get in the way of a fairy-tale ending.

Ayanda (Zandie Msutwana) is just days away from her lifelong dream of a modern 'white wedding,' complete with a dazzling dress, dozens of bridesmaids, a flamboyant wedding planner and large reception at a fancy hotel. The only problem is that her husband-to-be, the sweet, committed Elvis (Kenneth Nkosi), is 1,000 miles away with his childhood friend and best-man Tumi (Rapulana Seiphemo).

What should be a simple, straightforward journey gets seriously derailed, forcing Elvis, Tumi and Rose (Jodie Whittaker), a footloose English doctor they meet along the way to tackle directional mishaps, car accidents, a tag-along goat, and a potentially dangerous encounter with a bar full of redneck Afrikaners seemingly stuck in the era of Apartheid. (FYI NOTE - most white South Africans are NOT like that. i fact the only thing missing from the movie are some normal white S.Africans lol) Ultimately charmed by Elvis' infectious spirit, everyone surrounding him becomes determined to get him to his destination.

Meanwhile, poor Ayanda is watching her dream unravel as she wrestles with problems of her own -- from questioning whether there's any truth to Elvis' preposterous excuses of why he might not get to the church on time, being caught between European and African traditions as her mother (Sylvia Mngxekeza) has a very different idea about how the wedding should be orchestrated, and dealing with the unexpected arrival of Tony (Mbulelo Grootboom), a slick old boyfriend with a questionable agenda.

WHITE WEDDING subtly interweaves South Africa's history as bride, groom, friends and lovers are forced to look at the meaning of marriage, fidelity, honesty and the two sides to every story.

I think that this film is purely South African entertainment and it is brilliant as such. Foreigners with no interest in that country won't be able to understand why it caused such a stir in the RSA and won so many fans.

White Wedding is important not only because it shows a positive side of the 'SA experience'. After watching it, you will understand what unites all South Africans irrespective of their skin colour or cultural background.

It is a film about what it's like to be South African. And it's a valuable contribution in the country that is still strongly divided along racial and ethnic lines. Once people realise the common denominator,. they might be able to understand each other better - and, eventually, make the Rainbow Nation ideal more sensible.