"Clever Romance"
| None | Light | Moderate | Heavy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language | ||||
| Violence | ||||
| Sex | ||||
| Nudity |
Watch:
What You Need To Know:
Just as MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING threatens to deteriorate into a dark revenge comedy, the film is saved by Everett as George, giving piercing and calming commentary to Julianne. His dry wit contrasts with Julianne’s mounting hysteria. The movie contains relatively little profanity, no violence and no sex. George is homosexual, but this fact is not belabored. The acting is excellent. This amusing movie is a cut above most Hollywood offerings, but it still propagates the fallacy that romantic love is the supreme and ultimate love.
Content:
(Ro, L, S, A, D, M) Romantic worldview with some moral observations; five obscenities & one profanity; no violence except a brief shove; sexual innuendo & implied fornication taking place in the past; no nudity; alcohol use & abuse; smoking; vengeance themes & homosexual character
More Detail:
At the ripe old age of 29, Julia Roberts is threatened with “has-been” status if she doesn’t make a hit movie this summer. Fortunately, MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING will surely serve as her comeback vehicle. At last, Hollywood has produced a fresh, clever romantic comedy that diverges from formula just enough to make it interesting.
In a decided departure from her usual nice-girl roles, Roberts portrays Julianne Potter, a famous, self-absorbed, food critic who has never had a relationship lasting longer than a few weeks. A card-carrying cynic, she doesn’t believe in love. One night, she receives an unexpected phone call from her best friend, sports writer Michael O’Neal (Dermot Mulroney). Julianne assumes that he’s calling to make good on their pact of several years ago, when they promised to marry each other if both were still single at age 28. Prepared to reject him, she is instead greeted with the news that her “betrothed” is marrying someone else. Suddenly, she is hurled into a jealous tailspin and is convinced that Michael is the love of her life. With the help of her “other best friend,” her homosexual editor George (Rupert Everett), she sets out to thwart Michael’s marriage and proclaim her undying love for Michael.
Sound familiar so far? The movie begins to forge new territory when Julianne meets her rival, Kimberly “Kimmy” Wallace (Cameron Diaz), who instead of a contemptible simp or despicable tramp, is likable in her disingenuous sweetness and utter devotion to Michael. Suddenly, we’re not sure for whom we should root, and Julianne emerges as an ambiguous heroine amid her diabolical, ruthless scheming to vanquish poor Kimmy.
Just as MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING threatens to deteriorate into a dark revenge comedy and lose its humor in meanness, the film is saved and then stolen by Everett as George. The editor delivers endless hilarious commentary while serving both as Julianne’s foil and her conscience. His dry wit and debonair manner counteract Julianne’s mounting hysteria, and his pithy observations cut to the heart of matters, forcing Julianne to examine the moves and morality behind her actions. As she rails about the “annoyingly perfect” Kimmy, George poses the question, “Is this really about love? Or, is it about winning?” His lighter comments still cut like knives of wisdom. “It’s amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy,” he quips when Julianne reveals her latest scheme to snare Michael. The movie’s most riotous scene occurs when George pretends to be Julianne’s fiancé and ends up leading a room full of restaurant patrons in a rendition of Dionne Warwick’s “Say a little prayer.”
Toward the end, MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING does drag a bit toward its resolution, but is once again rescued by a final scene with George and Julianne, whose sweet chemistry rivals such classic couples as Hepburn and Tracy, which found so rarely in movies today. As the icing on this enjoyable cake, the movie contains relatively little profanity, no violence (except a shove) and no sex. George is homosexual, but this fact is not explicitly belabored. The acting is largely excellent − Roberts does well in her not-so-nice-girl role, Everett steals the show and Diaz shines as Kimmy. Mulroney serves a decorative role, and it is difficult to determine why he inspires such ardor in two unique women.
Yet, in most aspects, this hugely amusing movie is a significant cut above most mainstream Hollywood offerings, certainly better than the dark and unfunny ADDICTED TO LOVE.
Please direct your comments to:
Mark Canton, Chairman
Columbia/TriStar Pictures
(a Sony Pictures Entertainment company)
Mr. John Calley, Chairman & CEO
Sony Pictures Entertainment
10202 West Washington Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232-3195
(310) 280-8000
