Four Weddings And A Funeral Blu-ray Review

• 6th Feb 2012

A long time ago, before Bridget Jones and Anna Scott, before Daniel Cleaver and William Thacker, there was a little known screenwriter and a little known actor. They teamed up on a film, a film that went on to be the beginning of a very prosperous relationship.

These days Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis are household names but back in 1994 they were only starting to hit their stride. When Four Weddings and a Funeral was in production a lot of people thought it would be a flop and weren’t prepared for the success that it brought. I can’t remember the first time I watched Four Weddings, but I do remember I’ve watched it a lot of times since. It’s a strange film, not a complicated one but every time I watch it I seem to get it more and more. Watching it on Blu-ray for the first time was no different.

The plot is simple and fun, it follows Charles (played by a floppy haired Hugh Grant) and his mildly eccentric friends as they attend the titular four weddings and a funeral. During the first wedding, Charles meets an American woman called Carrie (played by Andy McDowell) who he becomes interested in.

Watching this eighteen years on, it’s easy to see were Richard Curtis gained some of the ideas he used in later films. It’s hard not to see early hints of Notting Hill or Bridget Jones’ Diary scattered throughout, especially in the timing of events in the film and the overtly British-ness of the events and the dialogue. However, compared to these later films it has its own specific differences. First off, the female love interest is unlikeable. It took me too many viewings over too many years to finally see her actions as inexcusable and ridiculous. Secondly, it’s quite sad with the funeral being possibly one of the most heartbreaking scenes in a film.

I love it. It’s funny, charming and filled with memorable characters. The cast are excellent and made up of a number of Britain’s best actors and actresses. A special mention needs to be made for Rowan Atkinson as the priest who performs his first wedding in the film, an excellent scene that never fails to make me laugh. Coming from Richard Curtis it’s a nice film to see were a lot of his ideas began to take form, particularly his representation of Britain and British people.

As a Blu-ray though, this film is a strange choice for conversion. There are no action scenes, no special effects and no real point in a conversion. It’s sharpens the picture and makes it look pretty enough, but for me it doesn’t seem worth it. There’s one scene in particular were the sound was crackled and impossible to understand. This happened to be an amazing scene between Charles and his friends, one of the funniest and most touching scenes in the film. I don’t know if this was just my copy or if it’s a general problem, but I was so confused about the choice to convert it I’ll include it anyway.

All in all, a hilarious and excellent film, one of my favourites for sure. Every time I watch it I seem to see something new that I didn’t notice before, or fall in love with a character I previously didn’t understand. I’d fully recommend owning this, an excellent feel good film.

Michael Wharton