Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.

Director:

Mike Newell

Writer:

Richard Curtis

Stars:

Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, James Fleet

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Grant	...	Charles - Wedding One
James Fleet	...	Tom - Wedding One
Simon Callow	...	Gareth - Wedding One
John Hannah	...	Matthew - Wedding One
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Fiona - Wedding One
David Bower	...	David - Wedding One
Charlotte Coleman	...	Scarlett - Wedding One
Andie MacDowell	...	Carrie - Wedding One (as Andie Macdowell)
Timothy Walker	...	Angus the Groom - Wedding One
Sara Crowe	...	Laura the Bride - Wedding One
Ronald Herdman	...	Vicar - Wedding One
Elspet Gray	...	Laura's Mother - Wedding One
Philip Voss	...	Laura's Father - Wedding One
Rupert Vansittart	...	George the Boor at The Boatman - Wedding One
Nicola Walker	...	Frightful Folk Duo - Wedding One

Storyline

In Britain, slightly bumbling and always tardy Charles (Hugh Grant) and his closest group of friends seem always to be attending weddings, but are never the bride nor groom, and as such, each, with the exception of gay couple Gareth (Simon Callow) and Matthew (John Hannah), is looking for love. At the wedding of their friends, Angus (Timothy Walker) and Laura (Sara Crowe), where Charles is acting as best man, Charles meets an American woman named Carrie (Andie MacDowell). For him, it's love at first sight. She too is attracted to him. Although they spend a memorable evening together, that's all it ends up being. Over three more successive weddings - some of the brides and grooms who are very near and dear to Charles' heart - and one unfortunate funeral, Charles runs into Carrie, but something always seems to prevent the two of them from getting together. He also runs into a plethora of old girlfriends, one of whom he may believe is really the one he was meant to end up with, ...

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Plot Keywords:

wedding | funeral | gay | cafe | hotel | 

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Taglines:

love is on the air, run for cover

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and for some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the extras were recruited by Amber Rudd, who is described in the credits as "Aristocracy Coordinator" - amongst the background actors and actresses in attendance were Lord Burlington and Lord Woolton.

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Goofs

When Charles in the last rain scene asks Carrie a series of convoluted questions, his lips do not match his words.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Charles: [wakes up and looks at his bedside clock] Oh... *fuck*! Fuck!

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Crazy Credits

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd is credited as "Aristocracy Co-Ordinator" for the film as a way to be paid whilst working as an extra, who were otherwise mostly unpaid.

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Alternate Versions

The filmmakers were under contract to produce a version suitable for American TV. So instead of overdubbing, EVERY scene with harsh language - no matter how complex - was re-shot and less offensive words substituted. Most noticeable are the following (among others): 1) the beginning, where "bugger" has replaced "fuck" (and does so for the duration of the film); 2) George, the reader at the first wedding, is talking to Charles about having gone to school with the groom's brother, "Bufty" (which is slang for homosexual). His theatrical "Buggered me senseless" line has been toned down to "Beat me till my bottom turned blue"; and 3) the scene during Carrie's wedding, where "fuck-a-doodle-doo" has been replaced with Charles sighing and saying, "Well, that's that, then". There is much more alternate footage used.

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Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Interrupted Movie Wedding Moments (2016)

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Soundtracks

Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1843) (uncredited)
Written by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Played on an organ at Wedding 4

User Reviews

Quirky Characters Shine in Touching, Funny, Romantic Comedy

The lead character in this film, Charles, says at one point that, while his friends were busily obsessed with marriage, two members of their group were, for all intents and purposes, married to each other. In those days before Britain had a civil partnership law, he was referring to Gareth and Matthew, played by Simon Callow and John Hannah. "Four Weddings and a Funeral" was among the first major films to feature a gay couple without any comment, moralizing, or stereotyping. Considering all of the absurd controversy generated by "Brokeback Mountain," this English comedy may be considered subversive in some quarters, because it portrays the union between the two men to be as loving and enduring as any between the men and a women in the same film. The two gay men are among a circle of idiosyncratic friends that orbit around Charles, who suffers from relationship avoidance. Played engagingly by Hugh Grant, Charles attends the weddings of others, but manages to avoid any commitment of his own. One of the film's funniest scenes involves Charles at a wedding reception where he has been seated at a table with several of his ex-girlfriends. With that one scene, screenwriter Richard Curtis wittily fleshes out Charles's character as each woman remarks on her past experience. The episodic comedy is broken down literally into the five events of the title, and the core characters attend these events as spectators who each hope for a wedding of their own. Many of the lines and situations are extremely funny. Rowan Atkinson steals his brief time as a novice preacher who blesses a couple "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the holy goat." Although Hugh Grant plays Charles as, well, Hugh Grant, several other actors create some fine comic turns. The ravishing Kristin Scott Thomas is touching as the lonely Fiona, and her timing is impeccable when she recovers from an indelicate question with a snappy comeback. Of course, why anyone as beautiful as Kristin Scott Thomas should be unwillingly single is a minor casting flaw in the film. Unfortunately, Andie MacDowell plays the American, Carrie, and, although she looks great in a hat, she fails to generate the necessary charisma to convincingly be Charles's object of desire. However, the low wattage generated by the two leads does little to dampen the hilarity or the pathos of this excellent film. While, at nearly two hours, the movie is long for a comedy, the structure and quirky characters easily sustain interest throughout. With "Four Weddings and a Funeral," director Mike Newell has made one of the best romantic comedies, and the film holds up to repeated viewings.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English British Sign Language

Release Date:

15 April 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Filming Locations:

Cafe Rouge, Covent Garden, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$4,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$138,486, 13 March 1994

Gross USA:

$52,700,832

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$245,700,832

Company Credits

Production Co:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Channel Four Films, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1