It seems that every aspiring actress wants a hand at doing the honors of a role of a dysfunctional person.  Anne Hathaway included!

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED is yet another film of a dysfunctional family – not that audiences have not had enough these days, since Ang Lee rejuvenated interest in this genre with THE ICE STORM.

The worst part of attending a wedding is to hear all the wedding speeches.  In his strife for authenticity, director Jonathan Demme (Oscar winning director of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) forces his audience to sit through almost 20 minutes of grueling verbal diarrhea during a wedding rehearsal.  Kym (Anne Hathaway), just out of drug rehabilitation and coming to grips with reality is not really welcome at sis’ (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding with the entire family barely tolerating her.  The film documents with brutal realism, the interactions of the family members.  There is nothing really wrong with RACHEL GETTING MARRIED in terms of production values and acting.  But Demme includes manipulative dialogue from first time writer Jenny (daughter of Sidney) Lumet and worst of all, racist African tribal dances to celebrate the groom’s African American heritage.  Demme should have taken to heart the words of the rehab caretaker at the beginning of the film when she says: “You are only responsible for your own actions.” RACHEL GETTING MARRIED is the best example I can think of, of well orchestrated artistic rubbish.