Muriel's Wedding is about a girl named Muriel who is desperately trying to find her place in the world. She hangs out with all of the popular girls and dresses like they do, but she can never seem to fit in. It doesn't help that her father treats the entire family as if they were worthless. He was in the running for state governor but lost the election and he blames this loss on his family, so he constantly tells them that they are horrible and meaningless. Because of this, Muriel thinks the only way to be successful in life is to get married. She moves to Sydney from her hometown Porpoise Spit (love that name right?) with her best friend Rhonda. Rhonda lives a carefree lifestyle and encourages Muriel to do the same. When Rhonda finds out she has cancer, Muriel becomes a little desperate and plans out a fake wedding to make herself feel better. She also begins looking through newspaper ads to find someone looking for a marriage (I didn't even know that part of the paper existed...) and finds a swimmer competing for the Olympics that needs to get married so he doesn't get deported. Muriel willingly enters this marriage after only meeting her soon-to-be hubby once. She is completely ecstatic at her wedding, not even acknowledging her mother that came all the way to Sydney to see her wedding. Muriel's picture-perfect life comes to a fast stop when she learns of the suicide of her mother. After this, she realizes what is really important to her and she finally feels the confidence that she has been searching for her whole life.
I know that this doesn't really sound like a comedy with events like cancer and suicide, but I think that's what makes this film work so well. It's not a straight comedy or a straight drama, it's the perfect blend of the two. One thing I found particularly humorous was Muriel's sister, Joanie. Every time Muriel gets herself into trouble, Joanie never fails to say, "You're terrible, Muriel" in a mocking way. It's so great. Another thing was Muriel's "friends", aka the popular girls, Tania, Janine and Nicole. They are in a constant love triangle; they sleep with each others husbands behind their backs, but still they are best friends. Rhonda also has absolutely no problem with telling them exactly how awful they are and what she thinks of them, which is great because they think they are so much better than everyone else, but Rhonda puts them in their place. Also, Muriel herself is just plain hilarious. When she moves to Sydney with Rhonda, she really blossoms into her own person. She sports a ridiculous smile any time she has a run-in with a guy and she outbursts into laughter at the most inappropriate times. The entire movie has undertones of the gay rights and feminist movement that swept through Australia beginning in the 60's. Signs of this are the constant ABBA songs, Muriel and Rhonda dressing in ridiculous costumes and dancing, and Muriel finding her own path that did not include marriage to a man, but a life with Rhonda. This film is very similar to other films we watched, like Priscilla and Strictly Ballroom. I thought this was a great film; it brought the pleasures of a comedy and a drama, while revealing issues that are going on in Australia today.
Here is my personal favorite scene from this movie (Rhonda telling Tania how it is...):
I know that this doesn't really sound like a comedy with events like cancer and suicide, but I think that's what makes this film work so well. It's not a straight comedy or a straight drama, it's the perfect blend of the two. One thing I found particularly humorous was Muriel's sister, Joanie. Every time Muriel gets herself into trouble, Joanie never fails to say, "You're terrible, Muriel" in a mocking way. It's so great. Another thing was Muriel's "friends", aka the popular girls, Tania, Janine and Nicole. They are in a constant love triangle; they sleep with each others husbands behind their backs, but still they are best friends. Rhonda also has absolutely no problem with telling them exactly how awful they are and what she thinks of them, which is great because they think they are so much better than everyone else, but Rhonda puts them in their place. Also, Muriel herself is just plain hilarious. When she moves to Sydney with Rhonda, she really blossoms into her own person. She sports a ridiculous smile any time she has a run-in with a guy and she outbursts into laughter at the most inappropriate times. The entire movie has undertones of the gay rights and feminist movement that swept through Australia beginning in the 60's. Signs of this are the constant ABBA songs, Muriel and Rhonda dressing in ridiculous costumes and dancing, and Muriel finding her own path that did not include marriage to a man, but a life with Rhonda. This film is very similar to other films we watched, like Priscilla and Strictly Ballroom. I thought this was a great film; it brought the pleasures of a comedy and a drama, while revealing issues that are going on in Australia today.
Here is my personal favorite scene from this movie (Rhonda telling Tania how it is...):
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