Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer (WGA):

Jenny Lumet (written by)

Release Date:

31 October 2008 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

A young woman who has been in and out from rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her sister's wedding.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Maid Of Honor | Loss Of Brother | Hair Salon | Sister Sister Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 18 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Sebastian Stan	...	Walter / Bowtie Party Guest
Roslyn Ruff	...	Rosa
Anne Hathaway	...	Kym
Bill Irwin	...	Paul
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Carol
Annaleigh Ashford	...	Quick Stop Cashier
Zafer Tawil	...	Violin Friend
Beau Sia	...	Wedding Czar
Innbo Shim	...	Wedding Planner
Eliza Simpson	...	Wedding P.A.
Olive	...	The Poodle
Rosemarie DeWitt	...	Rachel
Anisa George	...	Emma
Tamyra Gray	...	Singing Friend
Victoria Haynes	...	Bridesmaid
Quincy Tyler Bernstine	...	12-Step Receptionist
Mather Zickel	...	Kieran
Mel Jones	...	12-Step Speaker (as Pastor Melvin Jones)
Darrell Larson	...	Ray - 12 Step Group Leader
Michelle Federer	...	12-Step Reader (as Michele Federer)
Matt Stadelmann	...	Steve (as Matthew Stadelmann)
Molly Hickok	...	12-Step Veteran
Big Jim Wheeler	...	Mac - 12 Step Program Member
Josh Broder	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Stephen Richardson	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Bruce Bennetts	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Paul Sparks	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Caroline Goodman-Thomases	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Daniel Wolff	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Jill Dalton	...	Jill - 12 Step Program Member
Joe Alessi	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Jordan Cael	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Tiffany Little Canfield	...	12-Step Meeting Member
Tunde Adebimpe	...	Sidney
Barry Eastmond Jr.	...	Wedding Drummer
Brooklyn Demme	...	Wedding Guitarist
Carol Jean Lewis	...	Sidney's Mom (as Carol-Jean Lewis)
John Anthony	...	Sidney's Dad
Kyrah Julian	...	Sidney's Sister
Herreast Harrison	...	Sidney's Grandmother
Gonzales Joseph	...	Cousin Joe
Donald Harrison Jr.	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Fab 5 Freddy	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest (as Fab Five Freddy)
Jim Roche	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest (as James Roche)
Jimmy Joe Roche	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Robert W. Castle	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest (as Rev. Robert Castle)
Paul Lazar	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Amir El Saffar	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest (as Amir Elsaffar)
Dorian Missick	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Tareq Abboushi	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Tavish Graham	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Dimitrios Mikelis	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Gaida Hinnawi	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Alix Derrick	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Matt Rabinowitz	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Stephanie McBride	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Richard Maxwell	...	Rehearsal Dinner Guest
Debra Winger	...	Abby
Jerome Le Page	...	Andrew (as Jerome LePage)
Andre B. Blake	...	Inspired Stylist (as Andre Blake)
Dequina Moore	...	Rachel's Stylist
Joe Toutebon	...	Police Officer
Edie Hofstatter	...	1st Paramedic
Jaime Garcia	...	Other Paramedic
Julio 'Goya' Pagan	...	Tow-Truck Operator
Van Hughes	...	Wedding Valet
'Sister' Carol East	...	Wedding Guest (as Sister Carol East)
Robyn Hitchcock	...	Wedding Guest
Robert Merrill	...	Wedding Guest (as Christian Scott)
Roger Corman	...	Wedding Guest
Brian Nelson	...	Wedding Guest
David Neumann	...	Wedding Guest
Edisa Weeks	...	Wedding Guest
Heather Christian	...	Wedding Guest
Jennie Liu	...	Wedding Guest
Johnny Farraj	...	Wedding Guest
Joshua Elrod	...	Wedding Guest (as Josh Elrod)
Maria Dizzia	...	Wedding Guest
Marie Runyon	...	Wedding Guest
Ray Ultarte	...	Wedding Guest
Tymberly Canale Harris	...	Wedding Guest (as Tymberly Canale)
Anita Sarko	...	D.J. / Wedding Guest
Joey Perillo	...	Wedding Guest
Christy Pusz	...	Wedding Guest
Josephine Demme	...	Wedding Guest
Daphne Rubin-Vega	...	Wedding Guest
Joyce George	...	Wedding Photographer
Stephany Boa	...	Guest Electric Guitarist
Derrick Williams	...	Dancemaster
Elizabeth Hayes	...	Susanna Galeano
Marin Ireland	...	Angela Paylin
Cyro Baptista	...	Wedding Party Guest
Jose Mauricio De Faria	...	Samba Troupe Member (as Zé Mauricío)
Michelle Clay	...	Samba Troupe Member
Lisette Santiago De Faria	...	Samba Troupe Member (as Lisette Santiago)
Silvana Marquina	...	Samba Troupe Member
Marcus Santos	...	Samba Troupe Member
Atlanta Foresyth	...	Samba Troupe Member
Eldio 'Cabello' Rolim	...	Samba Troupe Member
Tonia-Cara Forsters	...	Lady in Red
Kate Rossi	...	Lady in Red
Susan Helen van der Griend	...	Lady in Red
Juliet Teakle	...	Lady in Red
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joyce George	...	Wedding Photographer (uncredited)

Directed by
Jonathan Demme

Writing credits (WGA)
Jenny Lumet		(written by)

Produced by
Neda Armian	....	producer
H.H. Cooper	....	co-producer
Carol Cuddy	....	executive producer
Jonathan Demme	....	producer
Elizabeth Hayes	....	associate producer
Ilona Herzberg	....	executive producer
Marc Platt	....	producer
Innbo Shim	....	associate producer
Emily Woodburne	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Donald Harrison Jr.
Zafer Tawil

Cinematography by
Declan Quinn		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tim Squyres

Casting by
Bernard Telsey

Production Design by
Ford Wheeler

Art Direction by
Kim Jennings

Set Decoration by
Chryss Hionis

Costume Design by
Susan Lyall

Makeup Department
Frank Barbosa	....	key hair stylist
Alan D'Angerio	....	hair styles designer
Sunday Englis	....	special effects makeup artist
Louise McCarthy	....	key makeup artist
Evelyne Noraz	....	makeup creator

Production Management
Carol Cuddy	....	unit production manager
Mark Kamine	....	production supervisor
Kendall McCarthy	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
H.H. Cooper	....	first assistant director
Nate Grubb	....	second second assistant director
Jennifer Truelove	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Amiee Clark	....	art department coordinator
Will Comacho	....	set dresser
Ray Fisher	....	leadman
Michael D. Harrell	....	property master
Mario Herrera	....	charge scenic (as Mario Garza Herrera)
Ross Huttick	....	set dressing foreman
Robin Koenig	....	on-set dresser
Richard Vilas Montesanto	....	scenic foreman (as Richard Montesanto)
Ivan Pazlamatchev	....	camera scenic artist
Pierre Rovira	....	construction coordinator
Michael Sabo	....	property master (as Mike Sabo)
Amy Safhay	....	lead greensperson
Shannon Canfield	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Marcus Migliore	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist (as Marko Costanzo)
David Flynch	....	foley editor
Bobby Johanson	....	adr mixer
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer (as George Lara)
Blake Leyh	....	sound designer
Teferra McKenzie	....	sound utility
Igor Nikolic	....	dialogue editor
David Pastecchi	....	boom operator
Roger Phenix	....	additional sound recordist
Jeff Pullman	....	sound mixer
Nicholas Renbeck	....	supervising dialogue editor
Steve F.B. Smith	....	consultant: Dolby Sound
Paul Urmson	....	sound mixer
Paul Urmson	....	sound supervisor
Steven Visscher	....	foley supervisor
Deborah Wallach	....	adr editor

Visual Effects by
Glenn Allen	....	visual effects: Brainstorm Digital
Peter Amante	....	visual effects: Tchya! Inc.
Richard Friedlander	....	visual effects: Brainstorm Digital
Eric J. Robertson	....	visual effects: Brainstorm Digital
Michael Turoff	....	visual effects: XFX Inc.
Daniel Abramovich	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Andrew Pungprakearti	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Jill Brown	....	stunts
Jeffrey Lee Gibson	....	stunt coordinator (as Jeff Gibson)
Jill Brown	....	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert A. Agredo	....	dolly grip (as Rob Agredo)
Michael W. Brennan	....	best boy electric (as Mike Brennan)
Jack Coffen	....	best boy rigging electric (as John Coffen)
Kathleen Corgan	....	additional assistant camera (as Kath Corgan)
Richard Dolan	....	rigging gaffer
Devin Donegan	....	video playback operator
Bob Izzo	....	best boy grip
Abby Levine	....	digital imaging technician
Charles Libin	....	additional camera operator
John McEnerney	....	key rigging grip
Joseph Metzger	....	additional assistant camera
Igor Potashanik	....	best boy rigging grip (as Igor Potashnik)
Declan Quinn	....	camera operator
Gerard Sava	....	additional camera operator
Robert Sciretta	....	gaffer (as Bob Sciretta)
Chris Silano	....	first assistant camera
Kevin Smyth	....	key grip
Bob Vergara	....	still photographer
Adam Hall	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Tiffany Little Canfield	....	casting associate
Patrick Goodwin	....	casting assistant
Arthur Dutkanicz	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Amy Andrews	....	costumer (as Amy Andrews Harrell)
Trenee Clayton	....	costumer
Barbara Hause	....	costume supervisor (as Barbara J. Hause)
Delvan James	....	costumer
Alison Parker	....	costumer (as Alison L. Parker)
Amy Ritchings	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Mike Fay	....	first assistant editor (as Michael Fay)
Frederick R. Northrup	....	apprentice editor (as Fred Northrup)
Scot Olive	....	digital intermediate colorist

Music Department
Nancy Allen	....	first assistant music editor
John Carbonara	....	on-set music assistant
Brooklyn Demme	....	composer: additional music
Suzana Peric	....	music designer
Suzana Peric	....	music editor
Innbo Shim	....	music supervisor
Tony Volante	....	music mixer

Transportation Department
Henry S. Avelin	....	transportation captain (as Henry Avelin)
Dennis Kelly	....	transportation co-captain
Dennis Radesky	....	driver: Mr. Demme

Other crew
Mara Alcaly	....	location liaison
Mirashyam Blakeslee	....	production assistant
Ellen Athena Catsikeas	....	assistant location manager
Michel DeAscentiis	....	production assistant
Jessica De La Cruz	....	production assistant
Greg Derasmo	....	representative: Clinica Estetico
Sky Dietrich	....	production assistant
Harper Dill	....	assistant: Mr. Demme
Massoumeh Emami	....	script supervisor
Betty Escobar	....	accounting clerk
Jacob Felix	....	liaison: Clinica Estetico
Samantha Feltus	....	assistant: Ms. Armian
Katherine Frishe	....	production assistant
Steve Gilbaud	....	production accountant (as Steve Guilbaud)
Caroline Goodman-Thomases	....	representative: Clinica Estetico
Michael Hathaway	....	assistant: Ms. Hathaway
Joey Levy	....	assistant: Mr. Platt
Melissa A. Messick	....	production assistant (as Melissa Messick)
Paul Myers	....	second assistant accountant
Annie-B. Parson	....	choreographer (as Annie-B Parsons)
Holly Pilch	....	assistant production coordinator
Kerry Roberts	....	payroll accountant
Kevin Rosenberg	....	assistant: Mr. Platt
Julie Sage	....	production assistant
Michelle Sarama	....	post-production accountant
Brennan Shroff	....	first assistant accountant
Mary Tobler	....	talent liaison
Steve Tozzi	....	title designer
Daniel Wagner	....	production coordinator
Hunter Whalen	....	production assistant
Thomas J. Whelan	....	location manager
Jimmy Joe Roche	....	footage provider: Baltimore Shopping Network (uncredited)

Thanks
Robert Altman	....	thank you
Homa Armian	....	the producers wish to thank
Jeff Berg	....	the producers wish to thank
Roger Corman	....	thank you
Leslee Dart	....	the producers wish to thank
Ramona Demme	....	the producers wish to thank
Arnie Herrmann	....	the producers wish to thank
Joanne Howard	....	the producers wish to thank
Susan Jacobs	....	the producers wish to thank (as Sue Jacobs)
Sidney Lumet	....	thank you
Dannel Malloy	....	the producers wish to thank: Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut
Elliot Roberts	....	thank you
Ken Starr	....	the producers wish to thank
Neil Young	....	thank you

Production Companies

• Clinica Estetico
• Marc Platt Productions

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Finland (2008) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (2009) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Releasing (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Belgium) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

• XFX (visual effects)
• Brainstorm Digital (visual effects)
• Tchya! (visual effects)
• Click 3X

Other Companies

• C5  post-production sound services
• David Haddad  transportation equipment
• Falco Ink.  publicity
• Grant Wilfley Casting  extras casting
• Haddad's  transportation equipment
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Postworks New York  digital intermediate

Also Known As:

Dancing with Shiva (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M | UK:15 | New Zealand:M | Ireland:15A | Sweden:7 | Singapore:M18 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Brazil:14 | Netherlands:9 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Clinica Estetico

Trivia:

Jenny Lumet spent about 7 weeks writing the script. It was her first to be made into a film, even though it was the writer's 5th screenplay.

Goofs:

Continuity: Kym has a car wreck on the eve of her sister's wedding by driving straight into a huge rock. When the tow truck driver drops her off at home, you can see the front of the car has no damage.

Quotes:

Kym: [Upon learning her sister is pregnant]
Kym: That is so unfair!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Anne Hathaway/The Killers (#34.4)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Everyday

Hathaway Excels in a Fierce If Overlong Drama About Coming Home and Facing Demons

Sitting through a movie about sibling rivalry at a wedding, especially one starring the doe-eyed and normally facile Anne Hathaway, sounds like a potentially painful way to spend an evening. However, as directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Jenny Lumet (Sidney's daughter), this 2008 drama is not a lightweight star vehicle à la Julia Roberts circa 1997 but a darkly realistic look at the dysfunction within a family thrown into disarray. Using an almost cinéma vérité style, Demme explores how a wedding reopens old wounds within a family in a naturalistic way made all the more palpable by the emotional acuity in Lumet's screenplay.

The focus is on Kym, a chain-smoking former model who has spent the last several months in rehab. As a substance abuser whose only armor is cutting sarcasm, she is absurdly hopeful that her sister Rachel's wedding will be a harbinger for unconditional love from her upscale Connecticut family. Therein lies the problem as her narcissism provides the catalyst for long-simmering tensions that uncork during the preparations for a lavish, Indian-themed wedding weekend (the movie's working title was "Dancing with Shiva"). It soon becomes clear that Kym's link to a past tragedy is at the core of the unpredictable dynamics that force confrontations and regrettable actions among the four principal family members. Rachel appears to be Kym's sensible opposite, but their alternately close and contentious relationship shows how they have not full recovered from past resentments. Their remarried father Paul is a bundle of loving support to the point of unctuous for both his girls, while their absentee mother Abby is the exact opposite - guarded and emotionally isolated until she is forced to face both her accountability and anger in one shocking moment.

Anne Hathaway is nothing short of a revelation as Kym. Instead of playing the role against the grain of her screen persona, she really shows what would happen if one of her previous characters – say, Andy Sachs in "The Devil Wears Prada" - went another route entirely. The actress' studiousness and persistence are still very much in evidence, but the story allows her to use these traits under the guise of a self-destructive, often unlikable addict who gains attention through her outrageous self-absorption. As the put-upon title character, Rosemarie DeWitt realistically shows Rachel's sense of pain and resentment as the attention veers to Kym during plans for the most important day of her life. Bill Irwin is winning as the unapologetically grateful Paul, but it's really Debra Winger who steals her all-too-brief scenes by bringing the remote character of Abby to life. Now in her early fifties, the famously tempestuous actress seems to rein in her innate fieriness to play a woman who consciously disconnects herself from the family she raised. What remains is a crumbling façade of propriety masking this obvious gap. It's similar to Mary Tyler Moore's turn as the cold mother in "Ordinary People", but casting the normally vibrant Winger (who probably would have played Kym a quarter century ago) is a masterstroke.

The film is not perfect. Demme's home-video approach, while novel at first, proves wearing over the 114-minute running time. Pacing is also a problem, especially when the focus turns to the minutiae of the wedding ceremony and reception. I wish Demme could have cut this part of the film, so we could get to the icy, unfinished resolution sooner. As a filmmaker who obviously enjoys making music concert films ("Stop Making Sense", "Neil Young: Heart of Gold"), there are quite a few musical performances presented in total. However, for non-aficionados, it may prove too much over time. While it's refreshing to see interracial marriages treated so casually (Lumet's grandmother is legend Lena Horne), Demme makes almost too big a point in presenting a global community though the diverse music and the wedding's multi-cultural themes. The movie starts to feel like a Putumayo collection of third-world performances. Still, Demme's intentions can't be faulted, and neither can the piercing work of Hathaway and Winger.