{"id":6787,"date":"2009-05-20T17:59:30","date_gmt":"2009-05-21T00:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6787"},"modified":"2021-06-05T10:10:12","modified_gmt":"2021-06-05T17:10:12","slug":"wedding-a-1978","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6787","title":{"rendered":"Wedding, A (1978)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You know, weddings are the happiest events I could possibly dream of &#8212; and yet somehow, when they&#8217;re over, it&#8217;s always so sad.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/Wedding-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/Wedding-Poster-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-60593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/Wedding-Poster-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/Wedding-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/Wedding-Poster-179x270.jpg 179w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/Wedding-Poster.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nIntrigue and chaos abound at the society wedding of a working-class redhead (Amy Stryker) and her half-Italian fiance (Desi Arnaz Jr.).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carol Burnett Films<\/li>\n<li>Class Relations<\/li>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Ensemble Cast<\/li>\n<li>Family Problems<\/li>\n<li>Geraldine Chaplin Films<\/li>\n<li>Lillian Gish Films<\/li>\n<li>Mia Farrow Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Altman Films<\/li>\n<li>Weddings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\n<em>A Wedding<\/em> came about as the result of Altman&#8217;s joking comment that perhaps he should film a wedding as his next project; the result, though not all that well received by critics, is one of his most amusing and engaging comedies. Anyone who&#8217;s either participated in or planned a wedding knows that glitches and emotional meltdowns are inevitable; here, Altman satirizes this inevitability by simply turning everything up a notch &#8212; starting with the concealed death of a matriarch (Lillian Gish) at the beginning of the film, and ending with a fatal car crash. Altman had famously brought 24 characters together for <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8558\"><em>Nashville<\/em> (1977)<\/a>, and decided (presumably just for kicks) to double this number in <em>A Wedding<\/em>; naturally, not all these characters get their due, but his masterful interweaving of so many disparate storylines works remarkably well. <\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, the characters one would consider most central to the event &#8212; that is, the bride (unknown, braces-clad Amy Stryker) and her groom (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) &#8212; are among the most peripheral; only gradually do we learn what brought them together, and they never become fully developed protagonists. While their future happiness is threatened a few times throughout the film &#8212; by Arnaz&#8217;s former high society girlfriend (Pam Dawber), by Stryker&#8217;s wigged-out sister (Mia Farrow), and, later, in an infamous shower scene, by Arnaz&#8217;s military academy roommate &#8212; this isn&#8217;t really the primary thrust of the story; there isn&#8217;t one.<\/p>\n<p>The most humorous of the film&#8217;s many subplots concerns beefy Pat McCormick&#8217;s relentless pursuit of Carol Burnett (mother-of-the-bride) &#8212; not out of lust, as we might expect, but from a pure conviction that she is his long-lost soul-mate. While Burnett&#8217;s cinematic performances are often (as here) over-the-top, she does a hilarious job showing her character&#8217;s gradual shift from absolute lack of comprehension to giddy acceptance of McCormick&#8217;s overtures. Meanwhile, deeper familial dramas (such as Nina Van Pallandt&#8217;s drug addiction, and the truth behind her marriage to Vittorio Gassman, who seems to have mafia ties) are handled with both humor and sensitivity. Part of Altman&#8217;s genius lies in the way he treats all his characters &#8212; no matter how minor &#8212; with respect; we sense that each has an interesting story to tell, if only we had the time to spend with them. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pat McCormick&#8217;s zealous pursuit of Carol Burnett<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-mccormick.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-mccormick.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6790\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Vittorio Gassman and Nina Van Pallandt as Mr. and Mrs. Corelli<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-gassman.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-gassman.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6791\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Howard Duff as lecherous Dr. Meecham<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-duff.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-duff.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6792\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Countless unexpected moments of bizarre humor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-zany.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-zany.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6793\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-zany2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/wedding-zany2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6794\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of Altman&#8217;s funniest films. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#director\">Important Director<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0078481\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/a-wedding\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/a-wedding\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You know, weddings are the happiest events I could possibly dream of &#8212; and yet somehow, when they&#8217;re over, it&#8217;s always so sad.&#8221; Synopsis: Intrigue and chaos abound at the society wedding of a working-class redhead (Amy Stryker) and her half-Italian fiance (Desi Arnaz Jr.). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Carol Burnett Films Class Relations Comedy Ensemble Cast Family Problems Geraldine Chaplin Films Lillian Gish Films Mia Farrow Films Robert Altman Films Weddings Review: A Wedding came about as the&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=6787\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6787"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72499,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6787\/revisions\/72499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}