RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

Starring:
Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Anna Deavere Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, Mather Zickel and Debra Winger

Director:
Jonathan Demme

Running Time:
113 mins

Out to buy on Blu-Ray/DVD 29/06/09

"It's not about you"

For Rachel (DeWitt) and Sidney (Adebimpe) their wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives. The couple are supposed to be the centre of attention, with both family and friends coming together to celebrate their union and tell tales of their friends and relatives. Unfortunately for Rachel here sister Kym (Hathaway) is coming home after ten years in rehab and she loves to be the centre of attention.

Anne Hathaway's career is certainly one of change but in her latest role she shows that she can be a diverse actress and one that you can really take seriously.

For an actress who shot to fame in films like 'Ella Enchanted' and 'The Princess Diaries' movies, Anne Hathaway's career is certainly one that now cannot be pigeonholed. The talented and beautiful actress then decided to move away from the girl-next-door and into serious acting, with a few fun roles throw in for good measure. Roles in 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Becoming Jane' and 'The Devil Wears Prada' showed her diversity but it is this role of Kym in 'Rachel Getting Married' that made the Academy give her an Oscar nomination but is it deserved.

After winning the Best Director Oscar for 'Silence of the Lambs' in 1991, Jonathan Demme has been able to pick and choose his films and produce some very interesting but less commercially successful work. Films like 'Philadelphia', 'Beloved', 'The Truth About Charlie' and 'The Manchurian Candidate' were all interesting movies from a filmmaker that is clearly making the movies that he wants to make and 'Rachel Getting Married' is definitely one of those.

In every family there is a black sheep and for Rachel's family this was definitely true. Demme approaches this family drama with almost a documentarian feel. Here we are witnessing what is supposed to be a joyous occasion for both family and friends, a wedding. While both Rachel's and Sidney's family and friends and getting on, this all changes when Kym returns from rehab and their estranged mother makes an appearance, many years after divorcing Rachel's father. With Kym needing to be the centre of attention and her mother dragging up old wounds, the wedding isn't going to be as smooth as it was planned.

For Anne Hathaway this is a very different role for the actress. For the most part this is a character that is not at all likeable and one who, if you weren't related to her, you would have never have invited her to your wedding. Playing someone like this shows that Anne Hathaway can approach something different and prove she is an actress of talent. Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel is also good, with Bill Irwin as their father and Debra Winger as the returning mother also shining.

The problem with the film isn't in the performances or the direction but in the story and the approach to the film itself. Nothing really exceptional happens, there are no revelations that will shock you and nothing that will take you by surprise. This is just and average story about an average story with a tragic event that has defined it. The cast and director should have been much better served by this but instead we have a movie that becomes extremely average.

'Rachel Getting Married' is a movie that you witness but not watch. By using the camera as a tool to view a pivotal moment in a family's life is one that should have engaged the audience but instead we witness an average family moment that is tinged with tragedy but no real revelations. The film does show how good Anne Hathaway can be however but she needs to choose the material a little better next time.

PICTURE & SOUND

The Blu-Ray disc presents the movie in High Definition wide screen 1:85 up to 1080p, with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound.

BONUS FEATURES

Commentary with producer Neda Armian, screenwriter Jenny Lumet and editor Tim Squyers
The producer, writer and editor come together to talk about how 'Rachel Getting Married' was brought to the silver screen. With the approach of looking in on a family event, the commentary reveals how they achieved this, the performances and how the movie was put together. This is a chatty track that is worth a listen.

Commentary with actress Rosemarie Dewitt
Rachel herself, Rosemarie Dewitt provides an insight and funny commentary track for the movie. Chatting about working with director Jonathan Demme and Anne Hathaway, she reveals more about the approach to the movie and working with the musical ensemble.

Featurettes (1hr 12.24 mins/Standard Definition)
Entitled 'The Wedding Band', 'A Look Behind the Scenes of Rachel Getting Married' and 'Cast and Crew Q&A at Jacob Burns Centre, Pleasantville, New York', get an insight into the making of the movie, the music that drives the film and an excellent question and answer session with the cast and crew.

Deleted Scenes (18.52 mins/Standard Definition)
Entitled '1st 12 Step Meeting', '2nd 12 Step Meeting', 'Kym & Kieran at Scott's Resturant', 'Wedding receiving line', 'Kym & Kieran talk in the basement', 'Kym and Rachel driving to the hair salon', 'While Kym is away', 'Roger Corman at the backyard reception' and 'More rehearsal diner speeches', these deleted scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to explain why they were removed.

Theatrical Trailer
Watch the preview of the film that showcased it in theatres and online. Previews Trailers for 'Seven Pounds', 'The Jane Austen Book Club' and 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist'

BD-Live
Place the disc in an Internet connected Blu-ray player or PS3 and gain access to extra bonus features

OVERALL

The Blu-Ray treatment for 'Rachel Getting Married' is very good, especially when you bear in mind that it is a low budget feature. With two commentaries and over an hour worth of bonus featurettes, this is a very good package.

BLU-RAY


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