movies

Wedding Movie Of The Week! Chick Flick Classic – Steel Magnolias

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Steel Magnolias opens in the hustle and bustle of a wedding. This is a great way to introduce an audience to a movie’s major players, since as we all know nuptials certainly do bring out a cast of characters in every family!

If I had to choose one classic movie wedding – it would likely be the one in Steel Magnolias. It introduced countless girls in the eighties, me included, to the notion of having wedding colors (and to the possibility of them being mercilessly mocked.) I also believe it brought the groom’s cake some cool points above the Mason-Dixon line. To the chagrin of event designers, there were suddenly armadillo and football jersey cakes popping up at weddings nationwide.

But ultimately, Steel Magnolias is a well-acted story of women supporting one another through life’s trials and tribulations.  You’ll get some laughs but don’t be fooled. Get out your handkerchiefs for this one.

-Dinah

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.