Released: March 10th,
1995
Rated: R
Distributor: Miramax
Starring: Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Bill
Hunter, Jeanie Drynan
Directed by: P.J. Hogan
Written by: P.J. Hogan
Personal Bias Alert: big Toni Collette fan, likes offbeat comedies
6 of 10
ABBA’s
songs are undoubtedly catchy, with standout hooks and a sound that is at once
heavily rooted in ‘70s disco yet ultimately timeless. It’s easy to see why these songs are known even
to people my own age, who were born years after the band broke up. And yet, it took two oddball Australian comedies
to bring the Swedish pop group back into style.
In one of those films,
Muriel’s Wedding, the band is used as
the obsession of an offbeat, uninspired young woman. Their peppy highs bring the only joy in
Muriel’s (Toni Collette) life, which she wiles away alone in her home or with a
caddy group of girls that she isn’t really friends with. It’s this early section of the film more than
anything else that’s likely to turn people away. It’s intentionally quirky in the laborious,
mannered way that The Royal Tenenbaums and
other Wes Anderson products always are. At
least with Anderson you know that things will take a turn for the melancholy,
or at least give you something to care about under that uncanny sheen. Writer/director P.J. Hogan has no such
reputation to lean on, so when Muriel’s ambitions prove to be chiefly vapid
things like marriage and a vague idea of success, it’s easy to grow worried
about sitting through the next hour plus of the film.
But just when things really
start to grate, Muriel steals some of her father’s cash and heads to an
extravagant vacation spot. There,
instead of meeting up with her annoying-as-hell friends, she falls in with the
wild and wonderful Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths).
It’s here that the film starts to take off, in no small part thanks to
the one-two punch of Griffiths and Collette.
It’s little surprise that these two were the breakout stars as they
handled the film’s tonal vacillations with the most grace. They remembered more than anyone else that
they must first turn in complete characters, then play around for the
laughs. Their willingness to go for it
all, including a couple knockout renditions of ABBA’s Waterloo and Fernando,
makes their friendship click quickly.
Once this relationship takes off, the
movie finds its groove, retaining some of the silly weirdness of the beginning while
adding some weight and a surprising amount of character development. As the stakes are raised, the audience finds
out just who Muriel is, which turns out to be much nastier than her timid start
would have you believe. Her and Rhonda
both have some deep-seeded fears, and as their worst nightmares creep up on
both of them, their true personalities come out, even if they are peeking out
from the behind the film’s glossy exterior.
That glossy sheen, the one that’s thick
and off-putting in the beginning of the film, never fully leaves. Its forced oddity keeps the audience at arm’s
length when you first see it, although I’m guessing that this is a film that
grows on you after multiple viewings. In
the same way that television shows with offbeat senses of humor like Arrested Development and Parks and Recreation are best viewed in
chunks, the comedy style of Muriel’s
Wedding is probably more palatable the more familiar you are with its beats.
On the first viewing, the film just barely
lands thanks to great performances by Griffiths and Collette. Those willing to give it more than one go may
be difficult to find, but those that do will likely find that their affection
for Muriel’s Wedding will only
grow. If nothing else, it certainly
doesn’t adhere to the status quo, and any film that launched the underrated
Toni Collette into my life is fine by me.
Other Notes:
Ø Can
we discuss how much Rachel Griffiths looks like Juliette Lewis? And how I never guessed she was Australian
after seeing all 5 seasons of Six Feet
Under?
Ø Seeing
Toni Collette carrying 40 extra pounds is kind of shocking. It really changes the way she moves.
Ø It
took me until the end of the movie to make out that their hometown is called Porpoise
Spit. Such a great name.
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