Rachel Getting Married

What a terrible movie. I don’t care what Rotten Tomatoes says; I’ve disagreed with critics on many occasions, such as the Godfather series.

The movie was part of a psychology club dinner+movie+discussion night. Admittedly,  the acting is powerful, and all the relevant players deliver convincing and human roles. However, the scriptwriting and camera work is downright shoddy.  I understand that the handheld feel is possibly there to make the film more human, but when it gets to the point that it stands out rather than adds to the work, it’s become disruptive. The storyline is utterly unrealistic. Kym’s relationship with her family is never resolved, nor is the major theme of Ethan’s death. Everyone just suddenly seems to forget their hostilities at the end even though no convincing catalytic event causes that transformation. Maybe they’re all tired of each other and want to put up facades. Scene to scene transitions are also terribly done. Various scenes just seemed to have no purpose other than to show us how the family normally behaves or how a wedding goes. Belly dancers? How do they add to the plot? Characters can be hateful at one moment, crying the next, and happy again, all in the span of a weekend. Golly gee. If the dad is suddenly reminded of his dead son and has to leave the room, quieting everyone, we shouldn’t expect to see him acting all normal again just 10 minutes later!

The one film I will compare this to is Revolutionary Road, which I found to be much tighter in terms of plot and generally more moving. “Rachel” bandies emotions like drunks at a bar fight. Revolutionary Road deals with the transformation of genuine feelings and is smooth and slick like a duel in a ballroom. Or perhaps I should use the comparison of cheap beer to fine wine.