Rachel Getting Married
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: October 3, 2008
5.8
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 237 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
131
Mixed:
27
Negative:
79
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand
Review this movie
VOTE NOW
 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Check box if your review contains spoilers 0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
1
TedD.Feb 15, 2009
Boring, predictable melodramatic schmaltz with stereotypical characters, like the poor recovering addict with a secret "reason" for her troubles and the cold, "perfect" sister and the out-of-touch father, blah blah blah. The other characters Boring, predictable melodramatic schmaltz with stereotypical characters, like the poor recovering addict with a secret "reason" for her troubles and the cold, "perfect" sister and the out-of-touch father, blah blah blah. The other characters are a bunch of smug, pompous doofuses. There is nothing funny or even amusing about this movie, so please, please stop calling it a dark comedy. It's an endless parade of vacuous, annoying characters going on and on about their feelings, just assuming that we would care. I don't see why anyone would. Just dreadful.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
MattH.Feb 17, 2009
This film reminded me a bit of Revolutionary Road, how most of the movie is spent with the characters arguing amongst each other. It's mildly entertaining at times, while acted very well. I had a difficult time really caring about any This film reminded me a bit of Revolutionary Road, how most of the movie is spent with the characters arguing amongst each other. It's mildly entertaining at times, while acted very well. I had a difficult time really caring about any of the characters, but enjoyed watching them on the screen. It's a swell picture with superb acting, but nothing to write home about.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MichaelS.Feb 21, 2009
I don't understand how so many people found this movie to be boring. I felt like I was there.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JoyceJMar 11, 2009
Disturbing, yes, but incisive study of family dynamics. Very original. Amazing acting, beautifully executed film.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
0
MonicaMexicoMar 14, 2009
I can't remember the last time I ejected a movie halfway through. This one was horrible - pretentious, boring, annoying, depressing. I'm just glad I only spent $1 on it at a Red Box.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
AllanW.Mar 21, 2009
Some good acting lifts a fairly routine and slow-moving story. Too many scenes are dragged out with little payoff. Jonathan Demme seems to have tried to hard for "nauralism."
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
robertiMar 27, 2009
The upwelling, always-surprising pain that follows our seemingly perfect world plays across the face of Anne Hathaway, a character in recovery when all surounding her appear unscathed in pristine Connecticut. If a few scenes seem The upwelling, always-surprising pain that follows our seemingly perfect world plays across the face of Anne Hathaway, a character in recovery when all surounding her appear unscathed in pristine Connecticut. If a few scenes seem self-indulgent or linger too long, the film throws us off-kilter again. One of the most painfully affirming and real movies of the past year.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
MichaelK.Jun 23, 2009
A slow start, indeed, but it grew to be rather compelling after maybe 20 minutes in. I think the reason many of those who gave it less than 5 didn't like is because the director is not telling the audience exactly how to feel. NorthA slow start, indeed, but it grew to be rather compelling after maybe 20 minutes in. I think the reason many of those who gave it less than 5 didn't like is because the director is not telling the audience exactly how to feel. North American audiences have been lulled into being told when to laugh, cry, that we are in shock (and "bored") when we're not given such clear direction. I was amazed at this film. I couldn't understand why it had that power. When I watched the special features which discussed the filmaking technique, I was intrigued.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
2
RustyJJun 29, 2009
To paraphrase President Obama, I'm not against all arty flicks, I'm against bad, boring arty flicks which on top of it waste a half hour playing mediocre music (Robyn Hitchcock? Pick up the phone Demme, the 80's are calling you home).
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
ShelleyNov 11, 2008
To the people who are insulting the camera work in the film-is it possible that this was part of the point, to look like a hand held camera so that members of the audience are drawn further into the family event at hand? Perhaps it helps to To the people who are insulting the camera work in the film-is it possible that this was part of the point, to look like a hand held camera so that members of the audience are drawn further into the family event at hand? Perhaps it helps to allow one to feel as if they really at this wedding. This was obviously the desired effect, and it was brilliant. This movie is painful to watch, yes, but it is not supposed to be a fun, poorly written blockbuster movie for a weekend out with a vapid significant other. The film was very successful at capturing the pain and joy of family, which can be similar, albeit perhaps more extreme, to our own experiences.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
773SleepyHollowNov 16, 2008
Is it too long? Yes. Self-indulgently so? Yes. But the film's pluses (the performances, the unsettling blend of dark and light tones, the admirable decision not to neatly tie up every last narrative strand) greatly outweigh the Is it too long? Yes. Self-indulgently so? Yes. But the film's pluses (the performances, the unsettling blend of dark and light tones, the admirable decision not to neatly tie up every last narrative strand) greatly outweigh the minuses... and I wonder if some who call the film manipulative are not comfortable with the real emotional reactions the film may have produced in them.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
EdwardK.Nov 21, 2008
I was very impressed with the acting and the realism of this film. I agree with some others that the hand-held camera bit was overdone, but the performances of Anne Hathaway, Debra Winger, and Rosemarie DeWitt were outstanding.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MarshallG.Nov 21, 2008
Incredible! one of the best movies I've ever seen. I'm really surprised by the negative comments. Must be people who need action flicks. Highly sensitive and emotionally powerful. Totally plausible. Go see it!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
MikeH.Nov 29, 2008
Obviously tdmac didn't watch the same film or he would not have said his last statement...the dishwasher scene is so weird and odd but at the same time entrancing and magical in the way the family connects. Then of course it is also Obviously tdmac didn't watch the same film or he would not have said his last statement...the dishwasher scene is so weird and odd but at the same time entrancing and magical in the way the family connects. Then of course it is also tragic too. One of the best scenes I've seen in a film all year.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
KathyS.Dec 29, 2008
Excellent performances, especially from Anne Hathaway and Bill Irwin. Richly textured and surprising. Loved it.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
GregB.Dec 29, 2008
We just returned from the theater and are scratching our heads. From the totally over-used and terribly distracting trend of hand-held "realistic" camera work (that not only made us feel that we were NOT there to witness the action, but made We just returned from the theater and are scratching our heads. From the totally over-used and terribly distracting trend of hand-held "realistic" camera work (that not only made us feel that we were NOT there to witness the action, but made us want to leave the theater) to the pathetic sound work that rendered too much of the dialogue unintelligible, this movie was an absolute mess. Added to that the impossibly implausible multi-cultural nature of the music, the characters, the wedding theme and mixed race couples (the only ones MIA were the gays), this movie could never get out from under it's own stupidity. What a waste of an incredible performance on the part of Anne Hathaway.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
Christopher_G2Apr 14, 2014
Loved it. Yes it has some excruciatingly awkward moments, and yes the main character played by Hathaway can be an unlikable spoiled brat. It's also completely authentic from beginning to end, with not a single performance that's bad, and evenLoved it. Yes it has some excruciatingly awkward moments, and yes the main character played by Hathaway can be an unlikable spoiled brat. It's also completely authentic from beginning to end, with not a single performance that's bad, and even in Hathaway's snotty character, played most brilliantly of them all, there is at least some to find admirable in the end, and we can still find sympathy with her dealing dark drug addicted past even if we don't really like her that much. I also like that the interracial marriage aspect of the film is treated as no big deal, as it should in this day and age.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
10
AlienvisitorNov 11, 2010
Amazing to read so many bad reviews for such a gripping movie. I don't know if MickaelK has a point when he writes that for some viewers used to a binary take on things, having to come to grips with psychological complexity may prove tooAmazing to read so many bad reviews for such a gripping movie. I don't know if MickaelK has a point when he writes that for some viewers used to a binary take on things, having to come to grips with psychological complexity may prove too unsettling, so they shut themselves up and would rather be bored stiff than admit to this uneasiness, which you feel at times. I guess some people do not want to be made to feel and think at the same time. What I found a little overdone, but I guess it was part of the caricature, was the wasp and higly pc atmosphere throughout; other than that, a very subtle movie about how guilt gets passed on from one family member to the next, how one copes -or not- with it ; great acting, all of them, and such moving moments, there's sthg "pure" and cutting about this movie, like crystal.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
8
Potter17Nov 1, 2011
Jonathan Demme is an expert in creating humanistic environments and immersing the viewer into the film. He did that in "The Silence of the Lambs" and repeats his technique here in a brilliant manner.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
8
beingryanjudeSep 1, 2014
Rachel Getting Married is an experience. A wedding experience like none other. One of the most dysfunctional families will bring you home no matter the relationship you have with your family. It's dark, it's emotional and it's JonathanRachel Getting Married is an experience. A wedding experience like none other. One of the most dysfunctional families will bring you home no matter the relationship you have with your family. It's dark, it's emotional and it's Jonathan Demme's best work since Silence of the Lambs. Anne Hathaway receives a much-deserved Oscar nomination in one of her finest roles to date.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
9
SpangleFeb 21, 2017
Utter brilliance. Born straight out of cinema verite and Dogme 95, Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married opens with a scene reminiscent of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless in which Kym (Anne Hathaway) is picked up from rehab by her father PaulUtter brilliance. Born straight out of cinema verite and Dogme 95, Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married opens with a scene reminiscent of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless in which Kym (Anne Hathaway) is picked up from rehab by her father Paul (Bill Irwin). Putting the camera in the car and immediately making the audience an intimate part of this story and this family, this sequence uses a few jump cuts akin to that Godard film and the plot that plays out feels like a spiritual successor to Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration. Putting Kym in the throws of her sister Rachel (Rosemarie Dewitt) getting married, the resultant film is powerful, engrossing, and a truly brilliant experience. The decision to use cinema verite - documentary-style filmmaking - as the main source of camerawork in Rachel Getting Married is an absolutely brilliant choice by Demme. Instead of just a film about a recovering drug addict arriving home and causing chaos wherever she goes, Rachel Getting Married is an intimate experience. The pain of the characters becomes our pain. Awkward moments are felt. We cry, we laugh, we smile, and we get angry with the characters. All out of love. By the end of the film, this family has become our own. Spending two hours with them feels like a lifetime, as the audience is given such an intimate look at their struggles, past pain, and joy. These characters on display in Rachel Getting Married are beautifully written and achingly real. The situations they find themselves are equally so. By using the documentary-style filmmaking, we are the one's holding the camera. Floating by without fear of using extreme close-ups - which have the added benefit of making us feel even closer to the action - the camera is a tool of intimacy in the film and one that creates a world so authentic, so within reach, it is as if we are not just a fly on the wall. The audience has become a silent family member, sitting by and watching the action unfold without feeling the need to speak out. This manifests itself in making the film feel personal and the characters are our family. I want to reach out to Kym, see how she is doing. Call Rachel and ask how the marriage is and what she is up to nowadays. How is the baby? I want to call Paul, just chat about music or whatever. Rachel Getting Married turns itself into the Buchman family's own home video and one that fills the audience with odd feelings of nostalgia and familiarity.

What truly helps to sell the authenticity and broken reality of the film is the acting. As the broken Kym, Hathaway is a revelation. Raw and immature, her Kym is self-centered, self-loathing, and eternally depressed. Responsible for the death of her younger brother because of her drug addiction, she will never forgive herself, further feeding into her spiral into drugs and alcohol. She is a beautiful soul, but one that will never blossom to her potential because of her past sins. Hathaway plays a recovering drug addict that, in spite of how many times she missteps during the film, makes you root for her. The audience can see her good heart and her desire to forgive herself, but she can simply not get over that mountain and continuously acts out to try and cry out for help. Hathaway is brilliant is portraying this complex and deeply moving character.

Yet, her family is also at the top of their game. As her father Paul, Bill Irwin is tremendous. Emotional and constantly trying to parent Kym, knowing how fragile she is, Paul is a good man but has trouble forgiving his daughter for being under the influence, leading to the death of his young son. Outwardly, he forgives her, but you can see just how much Ethan's death hurts him and merely seeing his name causes him to breakdown mentally and emotionally. Along the same lines, Kym's sister Rachel is terrifically brought to life by Rosemarie Dewitt. Elated over her marriage and completely loving towards her sisters, she is constantly driven to the edge by her sister's antics. As Kym self-destructs and draws attention to herself, Rachel is driven away, but never leaves. She always comes back, culminating in a beautiful hug shared between them at the end. Chills. No matter what they go through, they will always be sisters and the both of them will go to the end of the world for one another. Of all the film's accomplishments, this portrayal of sisterhoods may be one of its most defiant triumphs. Authentic and showing how one can go between loving and hating their troublesome siblings in an instant, it is never exploitative and never feels scripted. These are real people and scenarios that are merely being reenacted for this film.

What reveals the brilliance of Rachel Getting Married, however, is the final shot. Parking the camera on the porch as Rachel looks out at the remaining wedding guests the day after as they gather around a man playing a guitar, it is a scene that makes you want to walk out there with Rachel.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
0
wisertimeMar 31, 2015
I'm not one for hyperbole. I'm not easily impressed. I'm not overly critical. I'm pretty objective. That said: this is seriously THE WORST movie I ever saw. Nothing to like. No characters likeable. Just terrible. Camarawork andI'm not one for hyperbole. I'm not easily impressed. I'm not overly critical. I'm pretty objective. That said: this is seriously THE WORST movie I ever saw. Nothing to like. No characters likeable. Just terrible. Camarawork and editing is the worst ever. B grade or below. Don't watch this POS. Just don't!

I love Anne Hathaway....didn't care for her in this. The only redeeming quality was how laughably bad it was. As the torture fest went on, we just had to laugh to each other to ease the pain. So bad. Bad music, bad bad bad...get the point? I rarely give a zero.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
10
dante_bothermeApr 9, 2016
This is one of my all-time favorite movies (a very short list). The story is a brilliant telling of the complex and painful impact addiction can have on a person and her family; yet it's also a moving story about familial love. The ensembleThis is one of my all-time favorite movies (a very short list). The story is a brilliant telling of the complex and painful impact addiction can have on a person and her family; yet it's also a moving story about familial love. The ensemble acting is over the top brilliant, especially Anne Hathaway as Kimmy. The filming brings you directly into the heart of the events. Even the (live) music is top notch.

BTW, some critics hated the movie because they thought it was a bad attempt at comedy. They need to get a new job.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
8
amheretojudgeAug 19, 2018
tugs out the debauchery..

Rachel Getting Married Rachel Getting Married is a character driven feature about a dysfunctional family that is taken up a notch a bit on the darker side of the coin that is depicted with such nuance that audiencetugs out the debauchery..

Rachel Getting Married

Rachel Getting Married is a character driven feature about a dysfunctional family that is taken up a notch a bit on the darker side of the coin that is depicted with such nuance that audience writhes on the seat in an awe of it. Considering the plot points that it had to check off, it seems justifying for it to tick for around two hours, but the filling inside is somewhat shallow and off putting for it to cover up the edges. Demme's world in here is of reminiscence that never gets over it, which is both its pro and con, but with an experience like his, the mistakes are never loud enough to undermine the moment. Each sequence has plethora of mixed emotions depending upon the perspective of the characters, which is utterly complicated to the core especially to execute it with such a balanced tone, is somewhat of an achievement. And even though it covers up and follows the expected path, its mature take on tiny aspects is what keeps the audience tangled in its raw and beautiful script. It is short on technical aspects like background score and cinematography although is visually rich with bright and breezy locations along with stunning camera work. Demme; the director, has a house full of craft to explore in here, with an excellent execution skills that surpasses its magnificent script. Hathway has never been better in her self-healing portrayal with an amazing supporting cast like DeWitt and Irwin. Pragmatic conversations, complex sibling bonding and sharp and adaptive screenplay are the high points of the feature that helps it enter the major league. Rachel Getting Married tugs out the debauchery from the usual structure of the script, and is pure honest transparent soul.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
FilipeNetoApr 25, 2021
When I prepared to see this film, I had a certain amount of expectations. I had heard very good opinions about it, including friends, and I expected an excellent film. In fact, the film is good, but it is not exactly impressive, and I feelWhen I prepared to see this film, I had a certain amount of expectations. I had heard very good opinions about it, including friends, and I expected an excellent film. In fact, the film is good, but it is not exactly impressive, and I feel that it has been a little overrated.

The film shows the visit of Kym Buchman to his family of origin, to attend the wedding of her sister, Rachel. The family is rich, white, conventional, tolerant, polite and affable: their parents are divorced, remarried and live separate lives, but they maintain a good relationship and everything is perfect in this family, whom everyone likes (the abundance of friends and guests shows this). Kym is the dissonant note: with a past marked by the use of drugs and alcohol, and also by a terrible tragedy that has marked the family ever, she will be the center of several moments of family tension.

As you can see, the film is a family drama based on scarce premises. It is basically a home video of a wedding in a wealthy family, which covers the entire wedding and the family conflicts around the characters, ending in a sterile way, with nothing substantial happening as a result of what we saw, in a totally open, empty end. Directed by Jonathan Demme, the film has several positive points, starting with the way in which the characters are developed and psychologically rich, and the way in which it took from the actors the best they could give. But the hollow story is truly disappointing.

The cast is very good and is headed by Anne Hathaway, so deep, committed, strong and impactful that it is impossible to remain indifferent. The character is not pleasant, she is someone who has already made many mistakes, too many mistakes, in her life and still wants to be trusted. It is not easy, especially knowing the ups and downs that drug addicts, even those who have already rehabilitated, feel in their daily struggle against addiction. But Hathaway was colossal and was able to bring all her psychological wealth to her character and give us one of the richest dramatic works in her career to date. Debra Winger is another great actress who is present in this film and enchants us. I also liked Bill Irwin's work. Less interesting, Rosemarie DeWitt does what she can in a character that is highly unpleasant and that permanently sounds like a spoiled girl in need of attention.

Technically, the film has some positive and some frankly negative points. On the positive side, I would highlight the excellent design of the costumes and sets. And in fact I recognize the innovative and original way in which Demme explored the soundtrack, allowing for its gradual creation as the film was shot, in a sound cacophony that fits well in the wedding preparations. Despite that, I didn't like that, and I feel that, with that option, the film became tiring for the audience's ears. Another option that I understand, but I didn't like, was the use of the handheld camera and a constantly shaky cinematography. The use of close-ups also seemed to me to be abusive. I felt that Demme wanted us to take a good look at the nose holes of the entire cast.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
9
DarkwingSchmuckJul 27, 2023
Jonathan Demme's raw, heavy drama is anchored by a powerful, poignant, and heartbreaking performance by Anne Hathaway.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
next
Page:
More From This Movie

85 Critic Reviews

5.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL