Spoilers and editorials ahoy!
Kym is this spoiled, self-centered drug addict. She's trying to clean up, but if she's anything like the druggies I grew up with, she'll probably never be anything but a black hole for people to throw their love and patience into. I actually
So, who the hell is Rachel? Well, Rachel is Kym's older sister, and she has run out of patience for her little sister. Kym sucks up all the attention, adoration, and patience from her parents, and despite Rachel being the put-together, successful sister. Again, it's very true to life. Not that I have known any sisters like this *cough*
The movie is mostly about Kym coming back together with her family after spending time in rehab. The time they're together is spent building up to the all-important wedding day, and as the Big Day nears the stress level goes up and you learn more terrible secrets about this family. They are broken, and they are fragile, but they are family so they fight and love fiercely.
Oh, but you're probably kind of interested in this wedding right? The wedding was a little pretentious. The couple is mixed-race - she is white and he is black - neither of them appears to be Hindi. But for some reason they have an Indian-inspired wedding complete with the saris. WTF? I didn't understand at all why they couple decided to adopt the Indian culture for their wedding despite not being Hindi? Maybe they did explain it, but HEY I can't be expected to pay close attention to everything. I love to appreciate other cultures, but I felt like the Indian-themed wedding was out-of-place. It was distracting from the plot.
The groom was supposed to come from a musical background. I found all of the music and musical performances in this movie to be incredibly annoying. Honestly, why? I don't know - a lot of the character backgrounds go unexplained. All the music, plus the Indian wedding theme...it all felt like it was supposed to really convince me that Rachel and Sidney were cool. Like, they're so cool and I should really consider liking them because they have cool jobs and they throw aside tradition to have an Indian-themed wedding. **
After Kym's sister finally gets married, the movie ends with a dream reception - lots of happy family and good food in an absolutely beautiful backyard. I love movies with backyard weddings. They're always these rich people with beautiful homes and spacious, lush yards. The decorations were gorgeous and I felt as though I was really part of that one special family afternoon where everything comes together.
If you like weddings, but you hate romantic comedies, I give Rachel Getting Married two thumbs up.
xo,
Kay Banks
**Okay, after I typed that I thought "Well maybe..." and now I have LOTS of theories about how it was actually the perfect choice for Rachel's wedding, but hey those are my own personal thoughts and this blog is about weddings, not my weird analysis. Hey, watch this movie and let me know your theory about Rachel's choices!
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bah! i posted a long comment that got eaten. so in summary:
ReplyDelete1. I assumed that we were supposed to think the groom was hindi
2. the couple was extemely hate-able boring rich liberals.
3. I think you're supposed to like the couple.
4. Everyone in the movie is unlikeable: the dad who loves one kid more than the other, the annoying drug addict, the mom who doesn't want to go to her daughter's wedding, bridesmaids who are totally unsympathetic bitches, and a best man who takes advantage of a new addict.
5. Tho I get the whole "she's an asshole addict" thing, how rude/not very helpful is it to make her go to a wedding on her first day out of rehab and not help her in any way? Either don't have her in your life, or support her (by, say, oh i dunno, GIVING HER A RIDE to AA?!). The whole "you have to be involved but when you need support we'll ignore you" thing pissed me off.
I'd love to hear your theories!
Jenny! Comments always get eaten on the first try - I'm not sure why. Sorry!
ReplyDelete1. He didn't seem Hindi? I felt like it was just an aesthetic thing since they had a Western ceremony, and his best man was in Western clothing. The Bridesmaids were the ones in the traditional garb.
2. Agreed, the couple was extremely hate-able.
3. ...and yet we were supposed to like them. WTF? They're musicians! They like other cultures! They love Hawaii! There's nothing wrong with those things, yet their interactions with each other and other people made me dislike them, and their interests made me dislike them more.
4. The unlikeable characters made them more realistic to me. I rarely like everyone I meet. Everyone had flaws, but they all had their good sides too. Parents are always siding with the more effed up kid, bridesmaids are put through the ringer, so it's no surprise that she's pissed about losing her status after (presumably) throwing a shower and a bachelorette party. Addicts are always after unhealthy sex. I would have thought it was weird if those two hadn't hooked up.
5. I knew these sisters. I knew a younger sister who was a chronic drug addict, and the other one who was the Queen Bee perfect sister. The older, perfect sister had the tendency to cover up her perceived flaws with the look of being constantly pulled-together. Everything she loved was beautiful and aesthetically perfect. Older sister was constantly trying to help younger sister, but younger sister was basically stunted when she started doing drugs, so she was NEVER reliable. Even when she'd cleaned up she was unreliable and self-centered. The parents spent all their time on the younger sister, because (I think) they figured they didn't need to worry about the older one. This just made her feel alienated. As the emotional distance grew, and it got the point where the older sister was SO FED UP that there was no point in treating younger sister like a valued person anymore. Younger sister could not comprehend the dismissive attitude she got from everyone, so she always felt like everyone was against her (despite the fact that everyone was ALWAYS trying to help her). Both sisters were pains in the ass, both sisters were likeable and unlikeable at times.
So, my theory about the Hindi ceremony is that Rachel was just trying to distance herself in every way possible from her upbringing. She was white, so she dated a dark-skinned guy. Presumably, she was raised Christian (aren't most affluent whities?) so she had a Hindi-inspired wedding. She's from the North East (I think), so she moved to Hawaii. Rachel wanted to be everything that her past was not.
1. I agree he didn't seem hindi. But it didnt occur to me someone would theme their wedding as a religion they did not participate in.
ReplyDelete4. I totally thought both the parents sided with the NON effed up kid. Interesting. I guess I just need SOMETHING positive to hang on to to actually care what happens to the people in the story, and I felt like they made people assholes to make them seem quirkier. I guess I just get the impression that a lot of things in the movie were heavily planned, but I have NO IDEA what they are trying to get me to think.
If I asked anyone but my sister to be my maid of honor, I doubt she'd ever speak to me again. It's so assumed to me that your siblings would be your maid/best man that the idea that they would ask anyone else sort of horrified me.
I dunno, perhaps it is the child of an alcoholic speaking, but Kym at least seemed fun. As did the other addict in the movie. I felt like if I grew up in this family I too would be an addict. :)