Review of Rachel Getting Married (2008) by Jess L — 06 Feb 2013

This is a hard film to give a star rating to. It's not an enjoyable film in the sense of escapism into another world, this is a world you do not want to belong to, even for a short period of time. The performances in this film are beautiful, raw and at times all too real.

Hathaway flexes her drama muscles here proving she is more than a Princess diaries, rom/com typecast actress. Specific scenes were particularly haunting, the sudden switch between joyful family fun around the dishwasher to silent remembrance of a not too distant family tragedy, all through an inanimate object; a plate.

The bath scene where Rachel washes her sister in such a maternal gesture despite the previous and recent arguments. All these small elements combine to create quite a powerful film. Utilising hand held cameras the audience is drawn into an intimate portrait of dysfunctional family life and how even in the most extreme cases love can prevail.

Worth a gander if you're up for something different.