Dan ClayAny British film about weddings is always going to live in the shadow of a certain Richard Curtis rom-com.
Any British film about
weddings is always going to live in the shadow of a certain Richard Curtis
rom-com. So while
director Nigel Cole’s take on a
well-worn cinematic custom might make solid use of a good ensemble cast and a
rather nifty premise (the whole thing’s shot on a supposed video camera), what
can it bring to the wedding rom-com genre that Curtis et al haven’t already
mined?
Things certainly start rather well; a likeable Raif (Rufus Hound) explaining that he’ll be
documenting the build up to his brother Tim’s (Robert Webb) wedding to the lovely Saskia (Lucy Punch). And, as the best man, it’s going to be his special,
unique wedding gift. However, with the big day approaching, things become more
fraught between all those concerned and some surprise revelations mean this
video might catch some illuminating footage.
So while the slightly Peep Show-ish use of hand-held cameras and an element of POV should
elevate The Wedding Video above
similar wedding-related movies, in fact it shows exactly how impressive that other
far superior Robert Webb vehicle actually is.
While he’s fine as the straight man, you can’t help
but wish he’d been given Hound’s role as the more dastardly and prank-prone
Raif, even if Hound plays it for laughs pretty well. Thankfully Lucy Punch does
her best in what could have been a one-note role as the bride-to-be, getting
most of the best lines. Plus there’s decent support from an ensemble which includes Miriam Margolyes and Matt Berry as family and vicar
respectively.
So while similar films
such as Confetti! opted for a more
improvised feel and Noel Clarke’s The
Knot (released around the same time as this in cinemas) relied too much on
convention, sadly The Wedding Video shows exactly why Four Weddings And A Funeral deserves its status still at the top
table; Cole’s effort coming off like the slightly boring guest that’s always
stuck at your table when you’d rather be hitting on the hot bridesmaids or
ushers on the next.
