Betsy's Wedding

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Betsy's Wedding

R

1990

1h 34m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

56%

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16 Reviews

40%

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5,000+ Ratings

Jake (Dylan Walsh) and Betsy (Molly Ringwald) are a young couple looking to tie the knot. Content with an understated, intimate wedding, Jake and Betsy's plans go out the window when Betsy's working-class folks, Eddie (Alan Alda) and Lola (Madeline Kahn), feel compelled to go over the top after they meet Harry and Nancy, Jake's high-class parents. In need of financial help, Eddie enlists a shady in-law (Joe Pesci) for assistance, which only exacerbates matters.

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William Thomas

Empire Magazine

Most of the people who see this will own funnier home videos of wedding disasters.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 6, 2017

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Variety Staff

Variety

From a bolt of ordinary cloth Alan Alda fashions a thoroughly engaging matrimonial romp.

Feb 12, 2009

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Betsy's Wedding assembles all of the materials for a human comedy, and then seems unconvinced by them.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Graham Young

Birmingham Mail

Alda may have more than 20 top awards to his name, but this is a total nightmare of a production.

Oct 18, 2023

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Philip French

Observer (UK)

The kindly, ingratiating Betsy's Wedding, written and directed by its star Alan Alda, stands in the same relationship to Robert Altman's abrasive, unpredictable A Wedding that Alda's liberal TV series MASH occupies vis-à-vis the anarchic Altman movie.

Oct 18, 2023

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Christopher Tookey

Sunday Telegraph (UK)

There's a good pace, funny one-liners and enjoyable performances from the ubiquitous Joe Pesci as a sleazy uncle, Ally Sheedy as a vulnerable woman cop, and -- best of all -- Anthony LaPaglia as an earnest, Runyonesque young Mafioso.

Oct 17, 2023

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Horror fan 4

A very funny romcom with good performances. My favorite scene is with burt young talking about being happy or unhappy. Tim Treakle

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

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Dale R

Two very different families prepare their kids' weddings. This movie was written, directed and stars Alan Alda. This is a cute movie with a very satisfying ending. There were quite a few great character moments and the cast is excellent. Several of the scenes came off as just awkward and I’m not a fan of that. This could also cause the movie to drag in places. Regardless, I think this movie is worth a watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/08/24

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Audience Member

It's a decent wacky wedding disaster movie. It doesn't do much that's memorable, or unique, but it's a fun enough distraction. It's got a solid cast, so that helps. Though I was more interested in the relationship between Sheedy and LaPaglia.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/10/20

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Audience Member

Boy, I think the reviewers--critics and audience alike--must have seen a different movie to have rated this so low. My family and I throughly enjoyed everything about it--the cast, the script, the situations, the memorable lines. We still go around quoting from it. Every now and then I have to watch this again--for Stevie Dee alone, who is worth the price of admission.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

This is kept together and made funnier by O'Hara, Pesci and, save for the accent slip from LaPaglia who also was good, Burt Young.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

Sheedy and LaPaglia are beautiful together and that's a good thing because every moment they're not on the screen we miss them.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

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Alan Alda

Director

Alan Alda

Eddie Hopper

Madeline Kahn

Lola Hopper

Molly Ringwald

Betsy Hopper

Ally Sheedy

Connie Hopper

Anthony LaPaglia

Stevie Dee

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Synopsis

Jake (Dylan Walsh) and Betsy (Molly Ringwald) are a young couple looking to tie the knot. Content with an understated, intimate wedding, Jake and Betsy's plans go out the window when Betsy's working-class folks, Eddie (Alan Alda) and Lola (Madeline Kahn), feel compelled to go over the top after they meet Harry and Nancy, Jake's high-class parents. In need of financial help, Eddie enlists a shady in-law (Joe Pesci) for assistance, which only exacerbates matters.

Director: Alan Alda
Producer: Martin Bregman, Louis A. Stroller
Screenwriter: Alan Alda
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 22, 1990, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.7M
Runtime: 1h 34m
Sound Mix: Surround

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