'Rachel Getting Married' (Jonathan Demme, 2008)

Can we just, for a moment, talk about how amazing this was? I had to wait a day to post some thoughts about this. Really digest it all. I mean, from viewing the trailer a while back I had assumed that Jonathan Demme's 'Rachel Getting Married' would be passable--something akin to last year's 'Margot at the Wedding,' a film that I both enjoyed and despised parts of equally. It, I thought, would be incredibly similar to Noah Baumbach's picture in that its best feature would be a stunning performance by its lead actress. Then it was Nicole Kidman, and now it would be Anne Hathaway's turn. And what a turn it is.


Anne Hathaway. What can I say? I've loved her ever since her star turn as Princess Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi in 2001's 'The Princess Diaries'. I embraced her in 'The Devil Wears Prada', 'Brokeback Mountain', and 'Ella Enchanted' while looking past the repugnant 'Havoc'. And now here we are, her currently holding up shop as my winner for Best Actress this year with 'Rachel'. It's a strikingly realistic and heartbreaking portrayal of a recovering addict, the black sheep of her family only due to her role in a fatal accident that led to her venemous nature. I couldn't count on two hands the amount of possible Oscar clips that could be used this upcoming ceremony. Her scene at the meeting recounting the incident? Revelatory. Her scene confronting her mother, Abby (Debra Winger, underused but doing her job)? Incindiary. She is absolutely marvelous as Kym and it will be interesting to see which ladies, if any, can top her.

My other favorite in the miraculously good ensemble was Rosemarie DeWitt, the sister to Hathaway's Kym and the title character of Rachel. She dishes back an ample supply of both tenderness and vocal ferocity that keeps your eyes locked on her at all points in the movie. A very capable match to Hathaway, and a marvelous supporting player. Going back to a point I made earlier, I feel that this excelled much further than 'Margot at the Wedding' because of its, I suppose overall emotional ties to its audience. I cared about the characters, I felt for them (clearly, seeing as I spent a good deal of the two some hours drenched in tears). That fact I couldn't say for, well, anyone in 'Margot', including those you were supposed to take sides with.

My main qualm with the work, though it's a small one, is the cinematography. I understand that hand-held cameras aid more often than not in adding to the realism of a film. It works here, certainly. I also understand that it more often than not makes me nauseous. Which it did. But after a while, I got used to it and in hindsight really did appreciate the intended "grittiness" of it all.


If you have the chance to see this in theaters, see it. If you don't, then when it's released on DVD snatch that disc clear off the shelves like there's no tomorrow. 'Rachel Getting Married' is a touching homerun that is not to be missed. It certainly will be holding a place on my year end list.

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