Review of Polish Wedding (1998) by Sarah E — 04 Jul 2011

Theresa Connelly is trying to say something about femininity but hell if I know what that is. There's a lot of vulnerable glances on Claire Danes's part, a lot of posturing and speeches by Lena Olin, and a lot of talking on Gabriel Byrne's part, more than any other character in the film.

Not that he says anything important. Like Connelly, it's almost like he has a point to make, but it's not clear what that point is to Byrne, Connelly, or the viewer. What makes watching this movie even more difficult is that Connelly knows something about feminist criticism, enough to make reference to a whole slew of arguments including the Madonna/Whore complex and the status of men.

If only she could clarify her point, have her main character Hala discover the answers for her in the text, this movie might have been more meaningful or even more watchable. Unfortunately, Polish Wedding boils down to a lot of good ideas - sometimes hilarious ones - that are all disconnected and messily strung together.

I get the feeling like the movie is an in-joke, one that the director understands but doesn't explain very well. I wonder if an explanation would make the movie funnier or less entertaining.