The Wedding Guest

I would like to give this movie a higher rating. Both of the leads are incredibly attractive, and good actors who created characters who quickly captured my interest. The settings gave me an satisfying dose of some aspects of Indian and Pakistani culture and day to day realities, and what it might be like to exist in that space as a moderately privileged person. The plot setup in the beginning 25 minutes or so was good, and I thought "This might really go somewhere". But it didn't. It just kind of sat there, and then ended.

It is an Indian movie, with Indian actors within India locations, with an India story. if you knew how hard would take all the aspect of the India cinematographic and turn it over to some thrill watchable for nonindian viewers you would be not giving so low rates. it is a great movie to watch. if you are looking for shoot outs do it else where.

"The Wedding Guest" (2018 release from the UK; 97 min.) brings the story of Jay. As the movie opens, he is packing his bags (including multiple passports), and before we know it he is on his way from London to Lahore, Pakistan. Once there, he rents a car and finds a place where he buys 2 hand guns. He eventually ends up in Punjab... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from veteran UK writer-director Michael Winterbottom. Here he brings a story of a mysterious guy who looks like he's up to no good. And what actually is he up to? Probably Winterbottom keeps us purposefully on our toes and guessing for a long time. Frankly, one-third into the movie (the half hour mark) and I had no idea who was who or what the big picture was. But then it started to make sense, slowly but surely. And before I realized it, the movie had also taken quite a different direction that what I had anticipated. The movie benefits enormously from Dev "Slumdog Millionaire" Patel's excellent work. He is in virtually every frame of the movie. It feels like he's been around since forever, but Patel is still not even 30 years old! Indian actress Radhika Apte brings the female lead, and turns out to be a worthy sparring partner for Patel. The Apte character asks the Patel character at one point "Can I trust you?", and he responds "No". How can you not like a guy who is so truthful? The movie regretfully suffers from a weak ending. But in the end, Winterbottom succeeds in keeping my interest quasi non-stop by making this a fast-paced movie with likable lead performers and an authentic background vibe as to how things are in Pakistan and India (the never-ending traffic chaos, for one!).

"The Wedding Guest" premiered at last Fall's Toronto International Film Festival, and it opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati this past weekend. The Wednesday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended dismally (2 people, including myself). I would be surprised if this plays more than a week. But if you are in the mood for an exotic drama set in Pakistan and India, I might suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (if you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Has its moments (especially the first 20 minutes) but ultimately meanders its way to nowhere with a few pointless stops and illogical plots twists in between. Well acted though the Indian backdrop is probably the true star.

I was never a huge Dev Patel fan and I'm still not after watching this movie, but if there was any doubt about his acting talent he's put it to rest here by pulling off a "tough guy" role convincingly, despite his bookish appearance.

As for Radhika Apte, I've always found her exceptionally talented and she's no different in this movie. She brings a realism to her roles like no other actress who comes to mind. I can say without any exaggeration that every performance of hers that I've watched has been Oscar-worthy. I'm certain she'll get there someday, given the right opportunity.

About the movie, the best compliment I can give it is: I was never bored. The director uses a light-handed approach and never gets in the way, everything plays out in a natural, realistic manner. Even parts of the story that should be high-points don't really grab you by the gut, this I think, stopped the movie from being memorable in any way. A crime-adventure-thriller that plays out like a slice of life movie. Also, the story doesn't seem to want to go anywhere exceptional or evoke anything more than a casual interest from the viewer. It's a decent casual watch but if you want a high octane crime drama that'll blow your socks off, look elsewhere.