Rachel Getting Married

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: October 3, 2008

DVD Release Date: March 10, 2009

Plot 411: Kym is granted a weekend out of rehab to attend the commotion that is her sister's wedding and her family's skeletons sneak out to join them.

Review: Wow, this is the first really good performance I've seen from Anne Hathaway. While she has taken big strides away from The Princess Diaries through films like Brokeback Mountain and Becoming Jane, to me, this is her first real performance as a serious actor. Playing a recovering drug addict on leave from rehab to attend her sister's wedding, Hathaway creates a character that we both empathize with and dispise a bit. Like every family, hers has its own quirks and prejudices that seem to grow in her presence. She makes them come alive and demands that they are addressed rather than continue to be swept under the rug. The realism in this movie should be an inspiration to all others. The main themes behind this film are deeply personal and oftentimes dark, but there is a truth behind it to which everyone can relate. Scarily, the interactions between the family members will remind you of your own family. Perhaps they aren't as dramatic in your life, but everyone can understand the struggle between siblings for their parents' attention; the unconditional love parents have for all of their children; a self-defense mechanism that kicks in after traumatic experiences even if it causes others pain; and the deep desire to rectify a past wrong despite not knowing where to even begin. Even though I'd say this was a pretty dark movie overall, there were still moments of such warmth and laughter between characters that the balance between them never tilted to one side for too long. Other really great performances in this movie were by Rosemarie DeWitt, who played Kym's sister Rachel, and Debra Winger, who played their mother. Somehow, I just couldn't get with Bill Irwin, who played the girls' father.

Watch It: If you like family dramas with a sprinkling of dark humor. This one reminded me of Margot at the Wedding.

Skip It: If your idea of a wedding film is Hathaway's other movie called Bride Wars.

Trailer: