Movie Review My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

 

My Best Friend's Wedding | 1997 | 1h 45m
Genre: Drama/Comedy/Romance | Country: US
Director: P.J. Hogan | Writers: Ron Bass
Cast: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz
IMDB: 6.4
My Rate: 9/10

Hearing about Michael's wedding, her best friend, Kim goes all out and races against time to stop the wedding after realizing she's in love with him.

Warning:

Contains sensual scenes, alcohol, and smoking.

 

Synopsis:

Julianne (Julia Roberts) gets a message from her best friend, Michael (Dermot Mulroney) after a long time. Julie thinks Michael wants to marry her because of a promise they made when they were younger. They promised to marry each other if they didn't have a partner by the time they turned 30, and Julie is about to turn 30. But the news she gets isn't what she expected. 

Michael calls Julie to tell her about his wedding to Kimmy (Cameron Diaz) and asks Julie to come to the wedding. Julie is shocked and doesn't seem to want Michael to marry anyone else. Michael and Julie used to be a couple, but the relationship didn't work out and they decided to be friends. This shocking news makes Julie question her feelings again.

Julie finally decides to go see Michael and do whatever it takes to get him back in less than a week. Kimmy doesn't suspect Julie and even asks her to be the maid of honor. Julie tries various ways to sabotage Kimmy, like embarrassing her at a karaoke bar, encouraging her to give Michael a job at her father's office, and so on. But none of her plans work.

George (Rupert Everett), Julie's gay friend, comes and tries to help. George suggests that Julie should confess her feelings. But Julie says that George is her fiancé. Things get complicated, George has to pretend to be Julie's fiancé in front of Kimmy's whole family. This situation yields some results, Michael looks jealous, and this gives Julie a little hope.

Does Julie succeed in winning Michael back?

 

Review:

My Best Friend's Wedding is a light romantic comedy that's easy to watch. The intro is presented in a really interesting way, opening with a song about marriage. This makes the intro not boring.

The plot is presented systematically with an engaging storyline. The characters are well-developed and consistent. The conflict is also built well, a combination of serious issues and a comical and entertaining presentation. The resolution is also well-done and can be said to end happily.

Many viewers find Julie's character annoying, especially with everything she does to ruin her best friend's wedding and how Julie wasted her best friend's feelings all this time. But this feels relatable to real life. Many of us are stuck in the 'friendzone' and only realize our true feelings after our best friend has someone else in their life.

The acting of the actors, both main and supporting roles, is very good. The acting feels natural and not stiff. It's no wonder the actors received many awards for their acting in this film.

The choice of music is also an important moment in building the atmosphere in each scene, and it's done well. Some of the songs used in this film have deep meaning and fit the situation in each scene. The camera movement is also pretty good, every detail looks neat, and the transitions flow well.

However, there is a scene that's a bit unrealistic, where Julie can easily access Kimmy's father's laptop at his office. Also, Michael's character feels less strong or charismatic compared to George. Plus, Kimmy's character is too quick to trust Julie, who she just met, which feels naive.

This film is perfect for those who like romantic films with a light touch of comedy. It's a good watch for when you're free and might be one of those movies that's never boring to rewatch.

 

Memorable Scene:

Julie tries to make Kimmy look bad by asking her to sing at a karaoke bar. At first, many people are rude to Kimmy because she's singing off-key. But Kimmy keeps trying to sing with confidence and makes the visitors enjoy it.

In this scene, you can see how Michael keeps encouraging Kimmy. This is what makes Kimmy keep trying to sing. Support from the people you love is more important than insults from people around you.

 

Memorable Dialogue:

"I tried to steal him. I lost."

 
Ending:

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation:

Must Watch

 

(Aluna)