movies

Wedding Movie of the Week! Father of the Bride -Ultimate Wedding Comedy

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The 1991 adaptation of Father of the Bride starring Steve Martin is on AFI’s top 100 comedies of all time.  This does not surprise me.  Steve Martin is an American comedy legend, and as longtime readers of this blog know, I adore Martin Short’s performance in the role of Franck, the wedding planner, and have posted before about the film.

I have not seen the Spencer Tracy/Elizabeth Taylor original.  I suppose I should.  Somehow, I’d rather just sit and watch Steve Martin masterfully portray the simultaneous confusion of losing his little girl, and being inducted into the strange world of weddings. Oh, BTW? The AFI thinks it’s funnier than “The Jerk.” I concur.

Wedding Movie of the Week! Australian dramedy – Muriel’s Wedding

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Do you like a good dramedy?  Great acting? ABBA? You are cordially invited to Muriel’s Wedding.  An Australian film that hit the same year as Priscilla Queen of the Desert (a fabulous wedding-less film), Muriel’s Wedding was poorly marketed as a fun comedy. It does get funny, but it’s dark and at times you just want to give Muriel masterfully played by Toni Collette – in her second film role – a hug. The soundtrack is infectious, and I believe, along with Priscilla brought about the big ABBA revival that led to MAMMA MIA!  As Muriel’s Wedding is very touching, well stocked with  sharp satire, but not the fun comedy Hollywood execs made it out to be, American “guests” did not enjoy it.  Me excepted apparently – and hopefully you too.

Wedding Movie of the Week: Family Comedy – The Muppets Take Manhattan!

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Family friendly and utterly charming, The Muppets Take Manhattan is a gem. The most successful kids films are those that entertain adults as well, and the person that pioneered that concept was Jim Henson. In this film, his Muppets, well, take Manhattan, and everyone’s hearts along with it.

If you haven’t seen it in years, you’ll be delighted at the actors and cameos: Dabney Coleman, Brooke Shields and the mayor of New York himself, Ed Koch.

And the wedding? The wedding is a movie musical lover’s dream. Featuring Big Bird.

Enjoy.