best movie i've ever seen.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Blistering performances.

Muriel's Wedding focus's on young Muriel Helop (Toni Colette) who resides in the small out of the way town of Porpoise Spit; she sits alone in her room listening to the songs of Abba, and dreaming of a better life when she is married. The problem is however that she has never had a boyfriend; and her social standing isn't the greatest among her so called bitchy friends. Eventually she finds herself cruelly shunned by them; and her dysfunctional home life with her domineering father (Bill Hunter) doesn't help matters. Stealing some money she runs way, with fate bringing her together with former classmate and fellow outcast Rhonda Epinstalk; (Rachel Griffith) which proves to be a life changing encounter.An unexpected sleeper hit on it's 1994 theatrical release; raking $15.7 million at the domestic box office, and $57.5 million on a modest $9 million budget; Muriel's Wedding was the archetypal; Ugly Duckling story which had been told many times before. This is figuratively speaking really, for when it's all said and done the titular Muriel as portrayed by the then hitherto unknown Toni Collette was, and still is far from unattractive to this day. Having gained 40lb in just 7 weeks which marked her dedication to the role which brought her to international attention; it did nothing to rob her of the radiance that would occasionally seep through her dowdy facade. It's hardly revelatory that she should be so, given the clear genetic weight gain from her even more frumpy overweight sister; (Gabby Millgate) and to her emotionally troubled mother who has the seemingly burdensome task of also having to take care of the rest Muriel's male and female siblings. It would be a lie say that her family is not dysfunctional; and it's not made any easier by her overbearing father; Bill Heslop with veteran actor; Bill Hunter stepping effectively in to the role of a boorish local counsel-man with political ambitions beyond his meagre talents. A man who routinely passes the buck for his shortcomings onto his put upon family; it's difficult not to have any sympathy for them.However; in terms of Muriel's personal issues, they're compounded even further by the clique of mean-spirited, self-centred "popular girls. Vain and egocentric to the point of toxicity; they grind poor Muriel to emotional breaking point when (and it's no real spoiler) they pitilessly cast her aside. It' a a genuinely heartbreaking moment and Director; P.J. Hogan (who would inevitably cross the Atlantic to direct the exceedingly unremarkable, 2003 cinematic version of; Peter Pan) who also scripted the film, showcases his aptitude for characterization and setting a scene; brings them and the scenario marvelously to life, as he does the rest of the supporting players.It all of course serves as the impetus behind our disheartened heroine and is the key driving force by her irrevocable quest for change and acceptance. And in comes Rachel Griffith's as the sassy, unconstrained Rhonda Epinstack, a former classmate who fate should deem it necessary to cross her figurative path. This marked another breakout performance which would eventually see Griffith like her leading lady head for the bright lights of Hollywood, featuring in movies like; My Best Friends Wedding, Blow and the hit cable TV series; Six Feet Under. Somewhat in your face she may be as a character; but it's a quality that serves her well as there is a genuine, bona fide person behind the brassy exterior. What you see is what you get and her no nonsense, forthright nature is what necessitates anchoring the misguided Muriel in reality. Most of her scenes with Rhonda showcase some of the highlights of the movie; whether it be from them performing an Abba tribute act together at the sunny holiday resort where they met, to a night out on the town where the two; with Muriel dragging along her date; the shy, unassuming Brice Nobes (Matt Day). A young parking inspector with whom Muriel caught his eye in the video store she is now employed in. It culminates with an amusing romantic tryst back at her and Rhonda's flat which the bashful young man won't forget in a hurry. But for all the comedy; there is a significant dose of bitter-sweet drama which underpins the lighter moments. There's Muriel's predilection for being economical with the truth and the fact and her defrauding her own parents, the latter knack for theft being something she inherited all too well from her troubled mother; and the lengths she goes to for acceptance from her bitchy former "friends"; as well as her father's self absorbed pretensions, and an unavoidable test of friendship for her that comes right out of left field; all make for a mostly sublime tonal balancing act which writer/director Hogan skillfully pulls off. Admittedly it's a movie with themes that haven't been tackled before; and the cynic in me might think that certain aspects as it comes in to it's final act may descend a bit too much in to the absurd as with our young heroine exhibiting her love for Abba in a comically theatrical moment of tawdry showiness. But it does work for the most part and when it needs to it does really pull at the heartstrings with profound effectiveness. Boasting some superb performances with nary a foot being put wrong it stands up against the similarly themed; Australian hit Strictly Ballroom although it would never be a patch on the wonderful; Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Muriel's WeddingThe best thing about wedding season in Australian is that it's winter so your summers aren't completely ruined.Desperate to escape her overbearing parents (Bill Hunter, Jeanie Drynan), hopeless romantic and ABBA super-fan Muriel (Toni Collette) steals money from them and goes on a tropical vacation.She returns home a new woman and gets a flat and roommate (Rachel Griffiths). But these lifestyle changes don't keep her life from falling apart. And as her parents split, her friend gets ill and she drowns in debt, Muriel must grow up in order to stay afloat.More depressing drama than laugh-out-loud comedy, this 1994 sleeper hit from Down Under deals with the harsh realities of becoming an adult, but manages to soften their edges with dark-humor and an up-tempo soundtrack dominated by the aforementioned Swedish pop group.Incidentally, always seat your Australian wedding guests as far from the gift table as possible.Green Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca

Uneven comedy-drama from writer-director P.J. Hogan offers some proof of Hogan's emerging talent, but never really reaches its potential due to the flat central character. Toni Collette plays Muriel, a bored dishrag from Porpoise Spit, Australia. She aimlessly spends her time listening to ABBA music and fantasizing about a wedding day that may never be, while enduring the company of her undisciplined siblings and a gaggle of catty female friends who keep her around as a verbal punching bag. Her father is an obnoxious philandering local politician who takes his family for granted and her mother is a zoned out manic depressive, who only barely seems to realize that the glamour puss cosmetic saleswoman that keeps crashing family night is her husband's mistress. After Muriel steals money from her parents to go on a vacation, she hooks up with a free-spirited old acquaintance and embarks on a journey of discovery that changes her life and might bring her the wedding day she longs for. Marketed as a comedy, the film has some funny moments, but a lot of what goes on is surprisingly somber. Many of the people that inhabit the landscape of Muriel's life are either mean-spirited and nasty or colorless victims worn down by the ordeals. The film perks up substantially with the arrival of Rachel Griffiths as the free-spirited friend, but then her character is somewhat sidelined by being stricken as a paraplegic. Director Hogan keeps things moving along and gets lots of mileage out of the ABBA soundtrack, but his shifts between drama and comedy are clumsy. Worse, the film can do nothing about the fact that its central character of Muriel is just not that interesting or worthwhile an individual. We initially have empathy for Muriel in the opening moments having to cope with her monstrous family and frenemies. Unfortunately, she spends the majority of the film floating from one misadventure to another without really gleaning much in the way of knowledge or wisdom. Following the crippling of her friend, Muriel moves on with barely a look back, leaving behind both the woman who enabled her to strike out on a new life and a nice guy who genuinely loves her. She changes her name to Mariel and finds herself the recipient of a deal to marry a hunky Olympic diver Daniel Lapaine, who needs to solidify his Australian citizenship, and gets her wedding day. Collette is normally a fine actress, but she does very little with Muriel here. She spends much of the film blank of face, as though shell-shocked at life. She does better with some of the comical moments – the scene where she bursts into joyous laughter when she gets her first glimpse of her fiancé of convenience emerging from the pool in a tiny Speedo is funny both because of her uncharacteristic reaction and Lapaine's look of terror when he realizes this is his future wife. Unfortunately, Muriel never seems to become very decisive and even the film's closing moments have her seem like a drifter. We are apparently supposed to be content that Muriel has grown as a person because she changes her name back to Muriel, tells her dad to be a better father to her siblings after her mother's suicide and returns to help Griffiths. While the latter particularly shows some promise, one cannot overlook how Muriel has treated Lapaine in this process. When Muriel's mother dies, Lapaine reveals himself to be a genuinely nice guy and stands by her in her hour of need and even starts a physical relationship with her. But when Muriel decides that she needs to change her life again, she reneges on their business deal, keeps the money and cavalierly leaves him much as she did her supporters earlier in the film. She never does re-establish contact with the other guy whose heart she broke and who keeps lingering around the edges of the film, and one cannot help but think that in another month she will decide to change her life again and abandon Griffiths for a second time. The film launched the international career of Colette and has a staunch following, but while there are highlights, some directorial promise from Hogan and some good supporting acting, the average viewer may wisely wonder why Muriel is worth much consideration.

Living in Porpoise Spit, Australia, Muriel (Toni Collette) is fat, plain, and utterly hopeless, thanks to her father who calls her a 'useless lump.' Her only activities are listening to ABBA music and watching reruns of Princess Diana's wedding. Desperate, she takes a bold step to change her life, moving to the big city to look for love.I love this movie, which is equal parts comedy and tragedy and is definitely a chick-flick. The sparkling Ms Collette is instantly likable and I was rooting for her from the start. (She gained so much weight for the early scenes that she is almost unrecognizable before her swan-like transformation.) Muriel is passionate and sensitive and smart enough to know that a true friend is worth more than a fantasy. The supporting cast is excellent, with Bill Hunter as her horribly abusive father and Jeanie Drynan as her pathetic mother.This touching story of a young woman's search for happiness is full of life and loaded with great ABBA songs. Highly recommended.