Rachel Getting Married (2008/Sony Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B-     Extras: C+     Film: C+

 

 

I have been very unhappy with Jonathan Demme’s narrative work after The Silence Of The Lambs.  Philadelphia was very mixed, Beloved also not bad but longer than it should have been, then he made duds that also happened to be terrible remakes in The Manchurian Candidate and The Truth About Charlie, which failed to miserably at remaking Stanley Donen’s Charade.  Now, he tries to get back to business with Rachel Getting Married and even has some success.

 

Anne Hathaway (rightly nominated for her performance here) plays Kym, the sister of a happy bride to be (Rosemary DeWitt) which only brings up more of her own personal problems.  Dysfunctional more than usual, her personal problem start to slowly manifest during what should be a happy reunion, but ten years of rehab have only cursed her additions if that and resolved none of the personal pain she is going through.  Written with a superior sense of melodrama by Jenny Lumet, Demme can handle female situations, but there is a disconnect between himself and the material which causes the film to be uneven and throw off some of the tension.

 

Debra Winger also stars with a decent cast, but the film never feels totally complete or well-rounded when all is over, making it a problematic film that traps its good performances.  Demme has just not been that good and you watch as if he is trying to get warmed up and never gets there.  If you like Hathaway, it is worth it for her, but much of this is still too predictable and what we have seen already.  Yet, it also shows unfortunate circumstances that seem to repeat themselves no matter how often we see this kind of material.  Of course, Hathaway can act when given a challenge.

 

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image was shot on High Definition video and looks it with the usual color limits, detail issues and motion blur that film would not deliver like this in an HD shoots generic way.  Clean is not clear, as this will prove.  The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix is dialogue-based, so its limits are more understandable.  This is well-recorded audio for what it is, but don’t expect anything spectacular.  Extras include deleted scenes that are not bad, cast/crew Q&A, cast/crew feature-length audio commentary, a piece not he Wedding Band, a behind the scenes featurette and BD Live functions for more information and interactivity.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo