Rachel Getting Married (2008)
76%RT Audience Score: 62%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
32 wins & 65 nominations total
Rachel Getting Married is an engrossing tale of family angst, highlighted by Anne Hathaway’s powerful performance and director Jonathan Demme’s return to form
Rachel Getting Married is a movie that will make you feel like you’re at a wedding that you weren’t invited to. You’ll be sitting there, watching the drama unfold, and wondering why you’re even there. But then, just when you think you can’t take it anymore, the movie will surprise you with a moment of emotional depth that will make you glad you stuck around. Anne Hathaway’s performance is definitely worth the price of admission, and the rest of the cast is pretty great too. Just be prepared for a lot of prattle and an endless parade of dancers and musicians.
Production Company(ies)
Altavista Films, Zeta Film
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and brief sexuality
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 51m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 2008 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2009
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Debra Winger, Tunde Adebimpe, Mather Zickel, directed by Jonathan Demme, written by Jenny Lumet, Comedy/Drama, R rating, box office gross $12.8M, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Evan Williams, Sandra Hall, Philippa Hawker, Nick De Semlyen, Wendy Ide, Andrew Bloom, Nikki Baughan, David Harris, Mattie Lucas, Kate Winslet, family angst, wedding, rehab, family tensions, emotional displacement, recovering drug addict, dysfunctional family, ensemble acting, strong performances, under-recognized supporting cast, voyeuristic perspective, genuine viewing experience
Worldwide gross: $16,937,968
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $23,331,404
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,657
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,544,319
US/Canada gross: $12,796,841
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $17,627,159
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,450
US/Canada opening weekend: $293,369
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $404,105
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,453
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Rosemarie DeWitt – Rachel
Bill Irwin – Paul
Debra Winger – Abby
Tunde Adebimpe – Sidney
Mather Zickel – Kieran
Director(s)
Jonathan Demme
Writer(s)
Jenny Lumet
Producer(s)
Neda Armian, Marc Platt
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
32 wins & 65 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (201) | Top Critics (68) | Fresh (169) | Rotten (32)
I have been blown away by this movie…and not in a good way.
September 12, 2017 | Rating: D+
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
The pace never slackens, the prattle is relentless. And in the end I was moved.
February 20, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/5
Evan Williams
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Hathaway’s performance has been deservedly nominated for an Oscar. Whether or not she wins, here’s hoping the associated kudos saves her from ever having to do another Bride Wars.
February 13, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Demme…allows events to meander at times, but his cast is deft and emotionally direct.
February 13, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Philippa Hawker
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
One of Hollywood’s forgotten masters and one of its brightest new actresses team for what could well be an Oscar wild card.
January 23, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Nick De Semlyen
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
If anyone can claw the Oscar statuette from Kate Winslet’s eager hands, it’s likely to be Anne Hathaway for her brittle, emotionally ragged performance as a recovering drug addict.
January 23, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Wendy Ide
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Demme and Squyres devote enough of the film’s runtime to the wooly, recognizable chaos of a normal wedding that it puts the sore personal issues lurking in the background into stark relief.
February 25, 2020
Andrew Bloom
The Spool
It’s easy to throw around the word masterpiece, particularly when any film that deviates from Hollywood’s well-trodden path comes as so much of a relief. But, in its own small and unassuming way, Rachel Getting Married is just that.
October 30, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Nikki Baughan
Roll Credits
By trimming away excess to an almost Dogma 95 degree of austerity, Demme and screenwriter Jenny Lumet…offer us a penetrating look into a deeply wounded family.
October 1, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
A moving and reassuring experience if ever there was one, feels like a warm welcome home.
July 7, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
The wedding scene, when it finally comes, seems to go on forever, with nothing really happening beyond an endless parade of dancers and musicians.
December 12, 2018 | Rating: 2/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Times
This is a movie about emotional displacement during a celebration of unity, and the dissonance is devastating.
October 18, 2018
Stephen Garrett
Esquire Magazine…
Plot
Kym Buchman has been in drug rehab for nine months, during which time she has been clean. She is released temporarily from the facility to attend her sister Rachel Buchman’s wedding. During her release, Kym is staying at the family home, where the wedding is taking place. As such, it is like Grand Central Station for the duration of Kym’s stay, which may not be the most conducive situation for her in constantly being exposed to the watching eyes of those who know and don’t yet know her, but know of her situation. The reunion with her family members starts off well enough, but issues around Kym’s release from rehab quickly surface. Kym and Rachel’s father, Paul Buchman, wants to make sure that Kym is all right at all times, which to Kym feels instead like he doesn’t trust her. Rachel slowly begins to resent Kym’s situation taking over what is supposed to be the happiest day of her life, some of which is directed by Kym, some of which isn’t. One person present but largely not included in the last minute wedding planning work is Kym and Rachel’s mother, Abby, from who Paul is divorced. The two have since married other people. Outwardly, Abby has been nurturing of Kym throughout her life. However, what is one of the key moments in Kym’s drug induced life, and in their collective family’s lives, may profoundly affect the wedding. Beyond how Kym’s presence affects the wedding, the goings-on of the family during Kym’s short stay may either bring them closer together or tear them apart.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Anne Hathaway’s performance in Rachel Getting Married was praised by critics and earned her an Oscar nomination.
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