Four Weddings and a Funeral
★★★ 1/2
Does Four Weddings and a Funeral have the most unlikeable female protagonist in the rom-com genre? I don't have a problem with Andie MacDowell's performance, but I don't understand the appeal of her character Carrie. I compare Carrie to the mean girl that comes in and steals all the attention, and once she gets it, discards everybody's emotional investment into her drama. The whole reason I invest any amount of interest into the love story is the bumbling performance from Hugh Grant. We root for Charles, because he is so likable. We want what he wants, although it seems he is incapable of taking care of himself. I still really don't understand why Charles doesn't end up with Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas).
I enjoy this movie despite its main characters, which is a big compliment. The makeup of this movie defies the three-act structure that is so engrained in our storytelling with masterful results. As an audience, you are constantly intrigued into how each ceremonial event builds upon its predecessor. It becomes a fun guessing game as you get to know the wonderful supporting characters that surround Charles. These are the characters that you end up rooting for, and writer Richard Curtis, knows how to perfectly draw upon quirks that makes them memorable. There is a moment in life, post college, where your main support system is your friends and this movie beautifully portrays the small community that surrounds you when you are trying to navigate life and love.
Four Weddings and a Funeral ultimately works because the journey itself is so satisfying. The jokes and gags are genuinely funny and has a British charm that the Academy always seems to gravitate towards. It's particularly moving at moments as well, especially in its portrayal of the relationship between Gareth (Simon Callow) and Matthew (John Hannah). If only Carrie wasn't a horrible human being, maybe I could give myself into loving this movie more. Yet, everything else is lovely and works so well together, which elevates its status perhaps more than it should.
