Rent Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Dated - Four Weddings and a Funeral review by Maureen

We watched this film when it first came out and enjoyed it. We decided to try it again and were very disappointed. It seems so dated that we switched it off after about five minutes.

George Roby.

Still A Delightful RomCom - Four Weddings and a Funeral review by GI

This remains a delight even after loads of viewings and perhaps surprisingly too as it's really a very English comedy of manners, that quintessential British sub-genre as it neatly taps into the social awkwardness that in this case includes the thorny topic of sex and even love. Writer Richard Curtis has that gift of capturing the very essence of these moments that give rise to hilarious situations even when tragedy is involved. This is exemplified in the death scene where the central character, Charles (Hugh Grant) starts by chuckling at the plight of his friend who he doesn't immediately realise is having a heart attack. The clever structure of the film mirrors the skill of a writer such as John Cleese who has made a career of highlighting English social reticence and in the hands of director Mike Newell the comedy is kept grounded rather than drifting into farce. The structure is of course around the titular four weddings, themselves shown as a ridiculous, mostly class divided ceremony, and the extremely moving funeral section. Class is a key theme here and it has to be remembered that the main characters hail from a strata of British society that can best be described as privileged, it's only the funeral that takes place in the industrial, and poorer, north east of England. Overall though this is a romantic comedy that is focused on what finding your one true love entails as Charles ponders how those who marry have managed to be so sure they've discovered 'the one'. This certainly made Grant a star and brought forward many now well established actors including Kristen Scott Thomas, James Fleet, John Hannah, Simon Callow and Andie MacDowell, who often gets a bad press over her role here but I think she captures the beauty and contrast that the story strives for. This is a modern romcom that has remained a firm favourite for many and it deserves repeated viewings as there are delights to discover on each viewing.