My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

When a woman's long-time friend says he's engaged, she realizes she loves him herself... and sets out to get him, with only days before the wedding.

Director:

P.J. Hogan

Writer:

Ronald Bass

Stars:

Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Roberts	...	Julianne Potter
Dermot Mulroney	...	Michael O'Neal
Cameron Diaz	...	Kimberly Wallace
Rupert Everett	...	George Downes
Philip Bosco	...	Walter Wallace
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Joe O'Neal
Rachel Griffiths	...	Samantha Newhouse
Carrie Preston	...	Mandy Newhouse
Susan Sullivan	...	Isabelle Wallace
Christopher Masterson	...	Scotty O'Neal (as Chris Masterson)
Raci Alexander	...	Title Sequence Performer #1
Jennifer Garrett	...	Title Sequence Performer #2
Kelleia Sheerin	...	Title Sequence Performer #3 (as Kelly Sheerin)
Bree Turner	...	Title Sequence Performer #4
Cassie Creasy	...	Flower Girl

Storyline

A woman who, by a promise made years earlier, is supposed to marry her best friend in three weeks, even though she doesn't want to. When she finds out that he's marrying someone else, she becomes jealous and tries to break off the wedding.

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Plot Keywords:

love | wedding | promise | comiskey park | urban setting | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about finding your heart and losing your head.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 on appeal for one use of strong language and brief sex-related humor

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Italian

Release Date:

20 June 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

La boda de mi mejor amigo

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$46,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 4,930,331 (Germany) (5 December 1997)

Gross:

DEM 37,081,010 (Germany) (30 January 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Zucker Brothers Productions, Predawn Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sarah Jessica Parker was originally offered the role of Julianne Potter, but she was not able to take the role because she was committed to HBO in order to play Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City.

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Goofs

When Jules enters the private box at the ballpark, she is carrying a full tray of beers. She then hands a couple to some guys. A few seconds later the tray is full again.

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Quotes

Julianne Potter: I had the strangest dream. I dreamt that some psychopath was trying to break the two of you up. Luckily, I woke up and I see that the world is just as it should be. For my best friend has won the best woman. Um, I didn't buy you a gift. However, this is on loan until you two find your song. So...

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Connections

References Risky Business (1983)

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Soundtracks

"I'll Never Fall In Love Again"
Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Performed by Mary Chapin Carpenter

User Reviews

A surprisingly amusing and interesting romcom

This film was a pleasant surprise for me after hearing mixed responses from friends and acquaintances. I can see why it wouldn't appeal to some people : Julia Roberts in a romantic comedy could be pretty slushy stuff; but then again if you watch it wanting that sort of thing you're likely to be disappointed. Yes, so it is romantic and even a bit slushy at times, but has a sharp script and fast pace which keep you amused 95% of the time.

One of the things which appealed to me was the way moments of melodrama were defused into comedy - check out the two girls' confrontation with an audience of women (gathered by the call "Catfight!") whose oohs and aahs forestall any emotional reaction we ourselves may have to the scene.

Some of the camerawork is also more interesting than one might expect, with particularly powerful close-ups where one or two faces fill the screen. Julia Roberts' beauty comes through in a long shot which starts to look like a shampoo commercial: long curly hair spills around her head as she lies in despair on the floor (the public safety message being, don't ever sit with your back against a door which an irate ex-lover might wrench open at any minute); nevertheless, the proximity gives us an intimacy with her character we might otherwise miss.

Another effective shot of this kind (two heads on a pillow fill the screen) drives home the theme touched on here of the devastatingly attractive gay man who is made doubly so by his inaccessibility (as more fully explored in "Object of my Affection"). George (Rupert Everett) is a fantastic character whose sense of fun, wisdom, sensitivity and English accent make him every girls' ideal object for unrequited love (or maybe it's just me ).

The disappointing aspect for me was the film's final affirmation of sexist values and a rather superficial and one-sided view of "real" love - but you 'll have to watch it to see if you agree with me on that. Basically in my opinion, some of the ending lacked the self-awareness and sharpness of the rest of the film. However, overall I would recommend it for an amusing and sometimes clever 90 minutes of celluloid.