Remember how your dad used to shoot Super 8 movies in the 1970s with an unsteady hand and too much zooming? Remember how they invented this thing called a "video camera" many years ago that has all but eliminated this atrocious style from even the most amateurish home videos? It remains one of the great mysteries of modern movie-making why anyone would think this faux-amateur, nauseating camera technique should be considered a "realistic" style of film-making. In fact, the technique is hopelessly self-conscious and a major distraction.
And this is a shame because "Rachel Getting Married" is generally an excellent film, aside from its enthusiastically awful camera work. It is a deeper, more focused version of Altman's "A Wedding" with more damaged and interesting characters. The acting is fine throughout, especially Anne Hathaway as the unstable sister who maintains a curious likability despite her destructive nature.
Oh, yes: the wedding scene desperately needed cutting. There was an endless, increasingly loud and annoying sequence of musical numbers featuring half of the known genres on Earth. Where was the band of Highland bagpipers?
Despite the flaws, this is a strong film. It could have been an outstanding one.
And this is a shame because "Rachel Getting Married" is generally an excellent film, aside from its enthusiastically awful camera work. It is a deeper, more focused version of Altman's "A Wedding" with more damaged and interesting characters. The acting is fine throughout, especially Anne Hathaway as the unstable sister who maintains a curious likability despite her destructive nature.
Oh, yes: the wedding scene desperately needed cutting. There was an endless, increasingly loud and annoying sequence of musical numbers featuring half of the known genres on Earth. Where was the band of Highland bagpipers?
Despite the flaws, this is a strong film. It could have been an outstanding one.