Le mariage de Betsy

Alan Alda wrote, directed and stars in this tale in which he portrays a father who wants the best wedding reception and party possible for his soon to be wed daughter, Betsy (Molly Ringwald). He's even willing to go so far as to let the wedding be financed by the mob. Fairly amusing and plenty of big stars in small or costarring parts help to propel it.

Eddie Hopper (Alan Alda) owns a small construction business. The latest project falls through and he decides to go into debt to finish the house. At a family gathering for grandpa (Joey Bishop)'s birthday, his daughter Betsy (Molly Ringwald) announces her engagement to boyfriend Jake Lovell (Dylan Walsh). They want a small intimate wedding. To his wife Lola (Madeline Kahn)'s dismay, he gets into a competition with Jake's rich corporate raider father and ends up paying for an extravagant wedding. He asks Lola's sister Gloria (Catherine O'Hara)'s sleazy cheating developer husband Oscar Henner (Joe Pesci) for help. Oscar introduces him to mobster-like Georgie (Burt Young) who in exchange for a loan installs his nephew Stevie Dee (Anthony LaPaglia) to manage the home construction. Stevie Dee is taken with the house and Eddie's elder daughter cop Connie (Ally Sheedy). Then there is the wedding with fashion student Betsy's unconventional style and conflicting non-religious sensibility. The shootout doesn't help either.

Alan Alda wrote, directed, and starred in this movie. It's not that funny and overloaded with story from every other character. The saving grace is that I like everybody starting with Alda. He has an easy charm and the family has a loving chemistry. The wedding dysfunction works some of the time but it is simply not funny enough. As for the Razzie nominations of Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy, I don't get it. Ringwald's character can be a little annoying but that's about it. Sheedy and newcomer LaPaglia are actually endearing together and I love their budding relationship. Somebody at the Razzies must have had it in for this movie.

Oh I remember this movie-A friend and I had been talking about comedies , reminiscing really and she reminded me about this one. I'm sort of weird with comedies-meaning I don't always like what the masses like-I seem to remember liking this(somewhat) but being all grown up now I doubt my reaction were I to view it would be as fond now.

There are many movies that stay timeless and never get old. In the case of Betsy's wedding once you see it, it does leave you with a certain sweetness afterwards. The movie had some sweet things to say although they've been done before. The ending, though, was REALLY cute. This is not a movie that I would say,(as many reviewers on here do)is awful. Rather I would call it a somewhat cute comedy that gets you through a rainy night.

Alan Alda has worked with Woody Allen on several occasions, and it struck me watching this movie that he was trying for a Woody-ish ensemble piece. But, despite a fine cast, this is no Crimes and Misdemeanors.

The various plot strands are not woven together sufficiently well; some of the characters can be almost forgotten about during lengthy periods off-screen, including the eponymous Betsy. Ally Sheedy and Antony LaPaglia provide the film's brightest moments with their unlikely romance (although not so unlikely in the movies, of course!).

A movie like this is only as good as the ensemble in it, and in this case all the actors masterfully create characters that we immediately identify with or sympathize with. Sometimes we laugh with them, too, but unfortunately, not as much as one would hope.

Out of the large cast, Ally Sheedy and Anthony LaPaglia shine above the other actors and are memorable. Also Catherine O'Hara is one of those people who makes me laugh just to look at her. If it were up to me, she's be in EVERYTHING.