A Wedding

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Taylor L "Death is a horseman, death is a thief in the night. Death is a four-letter word." Virtually never mentioned as an Altman classic alongside many of his other projects, A Wedding certainly seems to be a very underrated part of the distinctive director's output. It's got plenty of his hallmarks, particularly the penchant for slightly offbeat characters, the large ensemble casts, and the higher-level social commentaries. Regardless, the film skews much more overtly comedic, a rapid-fire string of jokes that build off one another but that get funnier as they begin to feature more serious undertones (including interpersonal conflicts, shifting generational trends, and both geographic and demographic conflicts). Carol Burnett really carries this film, as a comedic talent with a sincere dramatic capability; more than anyone else in this particular project, she delivers on Altman's particular talent for mixing situational comedy with bleaker observational subtext. This film absolutely deserves a cultural reappraisal, it could be a recurring favorite in the wedding genre, fitting in somewhere between Father of the Bride and Wedding Crashers. (3.5/5) Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/17/22 Full Review Audience Member Robert Altman was a genius at ensemble cast film making. Gosford Park and A Wedding are two brilliant examples. Altman is without doubt among the best directors of all time. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review steve d Dark and unlikable. It is hard to pull for anyone. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The best comedy movie ever made! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the worst movies ever made. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Robert Altman snuck this near-forgotten film into theaters in 1978, to mixed reception from critics and a generally baffled public. Though it doesn't always come up in conversations about Altman's work, it deserves to be more highly regarded. After a lavish wedding ceremony, the families of the bride and groom descend on the home of the groom's family, presided over by a drug-addled mother (Nina van Pallandt) and an Italian emigre father (Vittorio Gassman), who may or may not be involved in the Mafia. The bride's parents, Carol Burnett and Paul Dooley, are nouveaux riche Southerners who seem out of place among their new highfalutin relatives. As for the bride and groom -- Amy Stryker and Desi Arnaz, Jr, respectively -- all is not as rosy as it seems, which becomes clear as this sprawling drama, peopled by about 50 or so separate characters, unfolds in a way that is sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, and always engrossing. There isn't much of a plot to speak of; the story progresses in the manner of an episode from real life. Not much is resolved in the movie because not much is resolved in life. Altman is, as usual, ruthless in his satire, but for once he doesn't come across as cruel. It's brilliantly acted by its enormous cast, and the whole thing actually feels like a dry run for Altman's later film Gosford Park. As I read back over my review it seems haphazard and rather unfocused, and yet somehow it seems right: much like the movie itself. It may not be his best-known or most popular title, but A Wedding may be the ultimate Robert Altman experience. Please have a look! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Wedding

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