Un mariage inoubliable

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.

If you're looking for a sweet flick with a few belly laughs and a cast of well fleshed out characters, you could do a lot worse than giving The Wedding Video a look. Until now I haven't been a huge fan of Lucy Punch, but she gives a truly accessible and warm performance as Saskia Dutton in this and fits very comfortably along side Rufas Hound, playing Raif the brother of Saskia's intended, Tim. Robert Webb does well as the brother preparing for his imminent wedding to Saskia, in what, if Saskia's Mother has her way, will be the wedding of the year. A lot of the story is shown as if knocked together via hand held, but is rarely annoying or as distracting as some such movies that rely on hand held cameras to capture the "fly on the wall" aspect of story telling can be. There are a couple of notable cameos with, for this viewer, far too short a screen time, involving Miriam Margoyles and Matt Berry and Michelle Gomez' role as a former flight attendant come wedding planner is the crazy glue that holds much of the film together. Rom-coms don't usually do it for me, but the reason this one flies is the great dialogue, engaging characters and a storyline that is not dripping with the kind of sugary cheese Hollywood tends to fob off as entertainment these days. The low voter score probably relates to the differing appreciation and expectations of humour that seems to exist either side of the pond. Give me a well written, fun British made film any day.

Just watched The Wedding Video with my wife,She protested "Not another Wedding Movie"!,two hours later she was still laughing with me about this film,it won't win any academy awards or golden globes,characters do not look as though they are acting due to the semi "Doc'o" style of filming however the three main characters consisting of our Bride,Groom and Best Man with special mention of the the Brides mother and Grandmother made this film a laugh a minute,well maybe every two minutes. I don't know why some review's were so harsh,it is what it is,a mad movie about weddings and the loss of control by the "Couple To Be" the typical Mother outdoing her society friends and the Wedding Planner going out of her mind plus the best man (Also the Brother of the Groom)adding to the chaos. I liked the Doco style which reminded me of an Australian film "Kenny" a few years back,the acting was OK and worked well with the dialogue.

We did not want our money back after watching this film compared to a lot of the contrived American rubbish on offer in recent time,The English have a great knack for comedy and I give this a 8/10 for laughs.

Raif (Rupert Hound) has returned from being a perpetual vagabond to be the best man at his brother's wedding. Tim (Robert Webb), the groom, is glad his brother has arrived but is not too sure about the gift Raif proposes. It's his bro's dream, you see, to videotape the days up to the wedding fro this sibling as a one-of-a-kind momento. Alas, there is a sticky wicket almost immediately, as Tim tells Raif his intended is Saskia (Lucy Punch). Raif is astonished, as Saskia went to his school and was something of a wild child. But, her mother Alex (Harriet Walter) has married extremely well and has "re-invented" both of their lives. Now, Saskia presents a persona of rationality, staidness, and wealth. As Tim has also risen to become a rich businessman, the two now seem perfect. But, are they? As Raif films the couple from the wedding gala to the wedding dance instruction to visits with the uptight wedding planner, is Saskia truly in love with Tim? Or, is her heart still yearning for someone else? This very nice British romcom has a great cast. Punch, who was a scream in Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, is quite fine as the reformed free spirit while Webb and Hound are great as the opposite leaning sibs. Walter does a quietly harried turn as the newly rich woman trying to plan a high society wedding and the rest of the cast is great, too. There are a bevy of comic scenes, as the one in which a society bride, whose wedding was to be the season event, ends up riding her party-ship into the ice sculpture. As noted, its Icebergs 2, Titanic 0. Also mirthful is the episode with the snooty Russian choreographer who has been hired to teach the couple a wedding dance or two. Costumes, sets, the lively script, and the zesty direction make for a vastly fun film. Again, Hollywood why have you forgotten women or fans of romantic comedy? Must we now go to Britain to view something we like? It appears so. As I found this in the DVD store, there is a happy ending but I long for romcoms to actually make it back to the theaters across the land.

There seems to be a throng of Wedding based films recently. After Bridesmaids but it could've been Four Weddings and a Funeral that really started the trend. Whatever the root it seems both Hollywood and Britain are enamoured by the sheer social minefield that it causes. The worst of human beings are exposed in this high stress scenario, the glamour and need to show the guests a fabulous time tend to overwhelm the fact that this is, at the end, an expression of love between two people. Which should be the easiest thing in the world but is just... not...

Even though every single idea that could surround the central theme of the wedding has been explored, especially the Hen/Stag Parties, this film tries find a unique idea the Best Man making a Wedding Video as a gift to his brother, the Groom. In doing so he records the build up to one of the most stressful experiences the poor Bride has ever endured. The Brides Mother taking a lot of creative control in the matter causing much vitriol between the Bride and Groom.

It's a very predictable affair. But there's a lot enjoyable aspects. I personally found the visibility of the camera refreshing, knowing a character was in control of gave the actors the chance to really react to the absurdity of the situation and also feel the embarrassment of it being captured. It added a layer to the proceedings which was fun to watch, plus Rufus Howard's character trying to be creative and shoot as much as possible, plus the microphone man, Matt Berry, causing arguments and writing songs. The decadence of the Mother of the Bride was always a good mine for comedy too. But it's all subjective really and how much experience you have with weddings. Of course everyone will find humour in different jokes.

I thought the acting was particularly good. Rufus Hound, who I've never really considered as a Leading Man, or even an actor, having only seen him on panel shows, was really quite good. The man can definitely act and he really sold the emotional beats along with the comedy. Lucy Punch is always fantastic and completely underrated for some reason. Harriet Walters was fabulous as the Mother and Robert Webb was perfectly lovely as the nervous Groom.

There's nothing remotely surprising but there's a lot to be enjoyed. It's well acted, got a few funny bits and still manages to strive for a unique thread even though we know the ending by a mile off. It's the journey though, hanging around with these perfectly lovely characters and watching a wedding you're damn well pleased you won't be involved with.