A Wedding

I think this film does a splendid job of showing both the charm and the pitfalls of Robert Altman's style of direction. And curiously, it may be his most likable film. Of course, Altman's trademark soft-focus drama and overlapping soundtrack are in evidence here, giving us a clear approximation of what it is like to be thrust into a big, bustling and poorly-organized social event. A WEDDING shows us what Altman does best, creating an atmosphere where individuals come into and out of focus seemingly at random and the storyline unfolds less like a narrative than as a string of half overheard bits of gossip. The large and varied cast performs with seemingly exaggerated gusto, a necessity to help make clear the individual threads of the tangled narratives. You either love this about Altman's films, or it infuriates you -- sometimes it does both. Yet, as much as this meandering style of film-making can exhilarate the game viewer, it can also rob the story of a sense of gravity. Certainly, the point of the film is that such an event as a phoney-baloney society wedding is a trivial affair, at the same time when the film turns to matters of life and death, the Altman style makes this seem trivial as well. Altman has never been able to punch home his films with "a big climatic moment" -- and he has never really tried -- and that is what is missing from A WEDDING. It just sort of peters out, like guests who randomly wander out of the party without saying goodbye. Still, there is something endearing about A WEDDING that is missing from much of Altman's other works. Despite the large hubbub of characters, this is an intimate affair and little bits of bittersweet drama filters through. The lightly sketched vignettes give us an insightful vision of family ties in various states of unraveling. The characters, though ludicrous from a distance, are somehow endearing when viewed up close. Kudos must go to vivid performances by such unlikely costars as Carol Burnett, Pat McCormick, Dina Merrill, Geraldine Chaplin, Lillian Gish, Nina Van Palandt, Mia Farrow and Lauren Hutton, some of whom have but a few seconds of screen time to create memorable characterizations. Like many a real-life wedding, A Wedding is vaguely disappointing, yet strangely unforgettable.

source: A Wedding

Trailer—A Wedding

A Wedding

After taking aim at war, western movies, country music, Raymond Chandler and Bergmanesque psychodrama, Robert Altman points his stinging lens at the institution of marriage and ALMOST hits a bullseye. The "plot" is simple: the gathering of two disparate families for a hopelessly stuffy wedding. A WEDDING, with its large cast and intersecting story lines has the look and feel of a classic Altman film but really doesn't jell. As the bride's parents, Paul Dooley and Carol Burnett are very funny --- with Burnett doing a less demented version of her Eunice TV character. Geraldine Chaplin, as a wedding coordinator of questionable sexuality is another big plus. Mia Farrow, as the nearly mute sister of the bride, is quite funny once you realize what she's been up to. A lot of other performers like Dina Merrill, Desi Arnaz Jr., Pat McCormick simply get lost in the mix.

I had the pleasure of playing trombone in the Chuck Banks Orchestra during the wedding reception scenes. We were on set for around 20 days right in the middle of one of the hottest summers on record in Lake Bluff, Illinios. Most of the movie was filmed at the Armour Estate, which is located in Lake Bluff, IL., right on Lake Michigan. I was only 15 years old at the start of filming, and was picked up every day by a limousine and dropped off at the Estate. That was a summer that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Robert Altman films can be hard work at times, and others you just get pulled into straight away. A Wedding is an instant attraction, a real delight, full of some great characters, and many funny one-liners, the first hour is a real chuckle, the second hour gets down to more serious issues, but if you've ever been to a wedding (and who hasn't?) you will identify with many moments from this. Some really great performances especially from Carol Burnett, the housewife with a moral dilemma, Howard Duff, the lecherous alcoholic doctor, Viveca Lindfors, the nutty guest, and Geraldine Chaplin as the very irritating wedding planner. Well worth a look! 8/10

If Robert Altman depicts a major gathering - think "Gosford Park" - then we're in for some shocks. And that's just what happens in "A Wedding". My favorite scenes were the ones where Pat McCormick's character hits on Carol Burnett's character, but this is one movie where there all sorts of fun surprises in store. With a giant cast and countless overlapping conversations, I loved every minute of it. There's a reason why Altman became known as one of the people who revolutionized cinema in the '70s. Definitely worth seeing.

It seems, I am one of the few commenters who think this movie very funny. Maybe it is, because I am not American. In my opinion A wedding is a great spoof of American culture. It is not a prerogative of the English to keep up appearances. Maybe it is just my weird sense of humour. There are few things as funny as people trying the best they can to run everything smoothly and perfectly, just because decencey commands it, and failing. Altman mercilessly shows the inevitable result: hypocrisy. This is what happens, when people deny human shortcomings. That's why I think A wedding is not typical a 70's movie, but has enduring qualities. Compared to Gosford Park it is easy to follow all the subplots. I like A wedding even better than Mash.

This movie does not differ from many Robert Altman's of the 1970's and 1980's. A large cast is given a situation and it plays out. In this case its the wedding of two kids but its more about several other things at the same time. Neither of the family members are very comfortable and the day is a disaster. No one shows up for the reception. It gets worse than that too. A movie like this is as memorable as the actors and they are all very good, particularly Vittorio Gassman, Dina Merrill, Viveca Lindfors, Peggy Ann Garner and John Considine. Stand-out scene for me was between "MOB" ("Mother of the Bride", in Geraldine Chaplin's caterers' shorthand) Nina Van Pallandt and her creepy & lecherous doctor Howard Duff. Let's just say The Beatles song "Mother's Little Helper" comes to mind right away.