Film Review: The Wedding Video

Cinema: The Wedding Video 

Director: Nigel Cole

Writer: Tim Firth

Starring: Lucy Punch, Robert Webb, Rufus Hound

Plot: A wedding video capturing a couple’s wedding is presented as a gift from the best man.

At last a clever and successful handheld, scripted film without possessed children, demons or dodgy woods. The Wedding Video follows the trials and tribulations of a couples wedding, its build-up and aftermath. Its stars, Lucy Punch especially, are comedic geniuses and utilise an already fantastic script. Rufus Hound handles his role well as he slips into his first acting debut and whilst the role doesn’t handle any heavy material (excluding the final third), he uses his comedic background perfectly and allows this British comedy to shine with his witty commentary.

Not only are the main three stars fantastic, an array of smaller roles are guaranteed to leave you in stitches. The wedding planner and vicar are both, surprisingly, the funniest characters of all; the planner’s drug addiction gives way for some brilliant one-liners during the final ceremony and the vicar’s array of church plays on video are very British and most of all, very funny.

For a comedy, surprisingly, the film takes twists and turns leading to some rather more emotionally intense themes. Whilst this is a big risk for a comedy it works surprisingly well and gives the story a little more ‘oomph’ without feeling like a cheesy soap opera.

Director Nigel Cole and screenwriter Tim Firth do not limit themselves to cut and trimmed home video tapes either; various montages spruce up the film during scenes of complete and utter chaos.

In Conclusion: the Wedding Video is great fun for both the audience and cast; throughout the film the stars seem as if they are genuinely laughing (a scene in a wine tasting venue sticks out). Whilst the film isn't out to grab an Oscar, its aims and objectives are met and exceeded (what I love in a film). With minor family members returning throughout for refreshing one-liners and the hand-held effect executed surprisingly well, the film is overall another hit British comedy which will no doubt become a regular at times such as Christmas.