Ceremony

I am so glad I saw this little gem. First of all, this movie says so much in such a small amount of time. Sam is in love with a woman who is getting married this weekend; and he is determined to stop it. Sam writes children's books , Zoe, the woman he loves is about to marry a big time "nature documentary" film maker, Whit. Marshall is along for this ride, but thinks he is there for some quality time with his best friend, Sam. There is a bit of that uncomfortable "social class" , high brow/low brow referencing here; but it unfolds beautifully and becomes clear what the story is saying. The "uber rich" don't really care about anyone, throw people away with no real consequences, behave badly, etc. Also, the age difference between Sam and Zoe is not that much, but enough to make a difference where understanding certain things come into play. I wont spoil it, but what Zoe tells Sam, he doesn't seem to understand how that could be. Which is a great life question: if you know something about someone, that should be damaging to any relationship, how do you successfully move on together? is it more mature? or is it not really love/caring about the other person? or is it completely loving and caring about that person? These are are very deep questions that are part of everyones lives , at one point or another. This is a fantastic film about love and what we all think really loving someone is actually about. The performances are wonderful, natural, and touching and at times very funny. We find that everyone, no matter what their "class", has the same idea of what love really is, and knows better than to treat others badly. Sam gets his truth in the end and realizes he deserves to not be a "dragonfly".

I will say that "Ceremony" is not actually the average romantic comedy, and that was one of the brighter moments of the movie. That being said, then "Ceremony" was a rather uneventful and somewhat pointless movie. The story was almost too simplistic and offered no laughs along the way. And this was ultimately the tripping point of the movie. It took director Max Winkler one hour and twenty-six minutes to get from A to B, and managed to almost tell nothing along the way. It should be said that the people on the cast list were doing good jobs with their given roles, and there were some good talents performing in the movie. It was actually Lee Pace who carried the movie with his performance, despite not having a leading role. Should you happen to like romantic comedies, then there are far better choices of this genre available out there.

When this movie came out Michael Angarano was 23 and Uma Thurman was 40. When the roles are reversed few eyebrows are raised, but we still think it odd when the woman is much older. In this entertaining little movie that is at its core. Angarano is Sam Davis , a not overly successful author of children's books. In fact in the opening scene he is doing a reading, and as the camera pans back we see that only one other person is in the room, a guy friend of his. But it may have only been a rehearsal, we don't know, and it is indicative of his tenuous standing as an author. In fact we can legitimately wonder if these two guys are in a homosexual relationship, so comfortable are they with each other. But they aren't, they are just close friends from way back, almost like brothers. So this weekend they are on an excursion outside the city (N.Y.) and end up at a beaten down inn, just adjacent to and sharing a beach with an upscale place where, it just HAPPENS, a party is planning a big wedding. The bride to be is Uma Thurman as Zoe and Sam has traveled there specifically to try to divert the wedding plans. It seems he and Zoe had some sort of "relationship" and he was hoping he could convince her they were best for each other. But at least one of the issues, from Zoe's point of view, is the age difference. Plus the fact that her fiancée has a career and income, unlike Sam. The IMDb rating is about right, overall it isn't that good a movie, much of the dialog doesn't work very well, but Thurman and Angarano are both nice to watch and that makes it worth the time for light entertainment.

What a pleasant surprise this movie was! There are too few movies of this caliber these days. I cannot understand the rating on this site. If I didn't know who made the movie I would have guessed Wes Anderson. If you like Bottle Rocket, Rushmore or Steers' "Igby goes down" you'll love it. Ceremony was enchanting, moving, humorous and bittersweet. The setting was perfect. I dare you to find even one character in this movie that isn't charming. The similarities between Max Winkler's Ceremony and Wes Andersons work are absolutely obvious, down to the small details. Watching Ceremony I was reminded of Dignan making his absurd plans, Anthony Adams falling in love, and of course, Max Fisher pursuing Miss Cross. The fact is Max Winkler "wrote a hit play" and I thank him for doing so.

This film tells the story of a young man who convinces a friend to go to the beach for a holiday. What he truly plans is to crash his ex- girlfriend's wedding. "Ceremony" has a strange title, because it is so descriptive and doesn't leave anything to the imagination. As for the film itself, the only is alright, but I have trouble getting the film because of the age difference between Sam and Zoe. Though I can see that the age difference is an integral part of the story, it still is not a believable romance. In addition, how Zoe gives off different and conflicting signals to Sam is quite unfair. I think it's not a particularly enjoyable romantic comedy.

Watchable romantic comedy stars the diminutive Angarano as Sam, the man with the plan to whisk his true love (Thurman) away from her fiancé (Pace), moments away from the altar. Unfortunately for Sam, Thurman's character has outgrown their once-brief tryst and sees stability and maturity in her imminent marriage, even if Pace is somewhat egotistical and high on self importance. Not a lot happening here, with minor chuckles and melancholy moments the general tone, Thurman's towering height and obvious age, both dwarfing Angarano, who's seemingly behind the eight ball all the way. Thompson as his best friend begins to suspect a ruse when they're "inadvertantly" invited to the wedding, and the once strong friendship that has cooled over the years, serves as the film's dramatic baseline, not quite a bro-mance, but equally, something short of true romance. He also has a funny scene in which he naively pops a party pill with some amusing consequences. Director Winkler never really seems to find the right tenor, lost amid light humour (predominantly from Johnson as Thurman's drug-addled brother) and pathos with little content to develop and only the natural appeal of Angarano and Thurman off which to pivot. Mature, low-key and likable but there's not a lot achieved (in my opinion the R-rating also seems excessive).

I loved Uma playing Zoe but truthfully, she was too stylish for this movie part. Whit was the weird match other than physical. Sam was too short and young for Zoe, and his way of running a friendship was a disaster all the way around. I wasted my time watching this movie but let it play while doing homework or napping. I didn't learn anything out of "The Ceremony" other than the fact that relationships can be messy just because of one action or inaction. It's also about Terry who shows how fragile life is. There was no comedy in this movie and i challenge anybody find at least a funny if not laughable moment within the entire piece of work. Don't expect much of the Special Features. Other than Zoe, Marshall played a good role and he did the best out of it. I wouldn't buy this movie.

I'll keep this short. Just out the gate, I think there's two types of people who will like this: a) those with a eye for hipster-esque romantic indies with above-average dialogue and sweet scenes that breathe and b) those who have a affinity for one of the main cast (Thurman, Pace, Angarano). Luckily, I fit both those categories - and truly, I loved it. It isn't ha-ha funny, or an epic romance, but it plays true to life. The scenes are well put together, the acting is on-spot (which is a true achievement, considering what some may consider oddities in casting choice) and moments are over/underplayed to the right extent (again, very important). The setting is beautiful, the music gives character and the secondary actors only add to the overall narrative. I don't think there's a broad message for anyone here. It's what you make of it, based on the person you are. Overall, if you can handle a breezy, quaint 90 minutes that maybe make you question your own romantic entanglements and first-world issues, give this a go. If you'd rather have a solid beginning/middle/end sort of rom-com, look elsewhere. :)

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!! I have a guilty secret. When I start to watch a movie that I've taped on my DVR I usually come to IMDb and read some of the reviews just to get a sense of where it's going before I give up my time. I know, terrible, but there you have it. So I read some of the reviews here and though uh-oh, I might as well work while I watch this one, which I did but not very successfully. As in I didn't get much work done because I was completely entertained by this movie. I know we've seen all kinds of wedding movies with similar plots. But if you really think about it there are only 5-6 plots in movies anyway (if you take out the specific details). So I'm fine with watching similar plots over and over, because there really is no choice on that anyway. I thought the storyline was great. I read another person say that the characters were all unlikable, but I disagree. I thought that it was a story about a very immature 23 year old who had a fling with an older woman and is handling it like a 23 year old. His insecurities made him act a certain way, but I had empathy for the pain he was really feeling and and the sincerity in his feels of love towards this woman. He was the kind of person who has the gift of gab and which led him to throw phony compliments to his friend while he manipulates and uses him. But that didn't take away from what I saw as real caring for his friend, Marshall. In fact I'm sure Marshall really appreciated the attention he got from Sam as he had his own issues which made him appear as someone who doesn't get out much. I also appreciated the fact that this wasn't the predictable boy loves girl, boy tries to break up impending marriage and boy succeeds. I read someone else complain that Zoe was marrying an *hole who you knew was an *hole from the start. I didn't see it that way at all. I thought the finance Whit was 'who he was', but really loved and cared for Zoe. He even allowed this 'fling' to be a pen pal of Zoes and when he shows up at the wedding there was no hissy fits, because he loves Zoe so much. Yes he was a bit self absorbed but so are many successful people. I thought the emotions that Zoe felt for Sam were very real and appropriate for what their situation really was and her reluctance to hurt him was well written. I didn't take it that she didn't love Whit or was marrying for the wrong reasons. Her relationship with Sam was this slice of life thing for her and she was happy moving forward in her life, but for Sam it was so much more. At the end you could see that Sam (and Marshall for that matter) grew up a little bit more. Isn't that true for your one big heartbreak? It sends you to the next phase of your life, and that's what I felt for both boys at the end. New phase. Growing up, but not yet grown up. Ah, to be young and that crazy in love again!

This is such a beautiful film. Not only visually, but also story-telling wise. Michael Angarano is fascinating & impressive. I don't think I could write enough praise for his work in this film. He wins you over and does so in such a skilled way. He makes you laugh and cry all while you secretly root for him. All of the actors were cast perfectly and work very well together. Uma is natural and stunning. It has a bit of a Wes Anderson look to the film which feels a little vintage and keeps your eyes satisfied throughout. I look forward to more Max Winkler films in the future. He is a rare kind of talented story teller that we need more of.