Wedding - Four Weddings and a Funeral - by Richard Curtis

Four Weddings and a Funeral

by Richard Curtis

As you can think there are four weddings and a funeral in this film.

The film begins when Charles (Hugh Grant) and his friend Scarlett wake up and recognize that they had woken up too late.

They hurry to the wedding of Angus and Laura where Charles is best man. In addition to their lateness Charles forgot the rings, so Scarlett and Matthew help to get rings from the people in the church. Finally they have two rings, one is a big red coloured shiny heart and the other one is a skull and crossbones.

After the ceremony in the church they continue the celebration in a country house and afterwards in a marquee.

During the celebration Charles get to know an American, named Carrie (Andie McDowell), from the beginning on he is likes her very much.

Charles as best man holds a speech in which he should talk about Angus, but he always slips away and talks about marriage, that he is unable to marry someone, because there is something final about it.

"I would just like to say this - I am, as ever, in bewildered awe of anyone who makes the kind of commitment that Angus and Laura have made today. I know I couldn't do it - I think it's wonderful they can."

Bernard and Lydia become a couple this night. Lydia is frustrated, because everybody promised her sex as a bridesmaid and now there is no man nearby. Finally she is satisfied with Bernard.

Carrie and Charles stay at the same hotel this night, she invites him to her room and finally they spend the night together.

Next morning Carrie leaves England and returns to America.

The next wedding is a few months later, it's the wedding of Bernard and Lydia.

The vicar, Father Gerald, is new in his job and makes still a lot of mistakes.

Gareth doesn't take marriage serious and makes a lot of jokes about it.

"I've got a new theory about marriage. Two people are in love, they live together, and then, suddenly, one day, they run out of conversation. Totally. They can't think of a single thing to say to each other. That's it. Panic. Then suddenly it occurs to the chap that there is a way out of the deadlock.He'll ask her to marry him. Suddenly they have got something to talk about for the rest of their lives."

By chance (Zufällig) Charles meets Carrie again, but he has no luck, because she is engaged to an elegant 5o-year-old man.

On that evening Charles has really no luck, because he meets so many of his old girlfriends, one of these is Henrietta.

On this wedding Charles' brother David and Serena get to know each other.

The evening ends when Charles accompanies Carrie to her hotel, because Hamish had to leave earlier, and finally they go to bed together.

Charles and Carrie meet again in a day in September when both are on a shopping-tour.

They buy a wedding-dress for Carrie and afterwards Charles meets David.

The third wedding is this of Hamish and Carrie.

On this marriage Gareth takes marriage for the first time serious.

Dear old things - as you know, I've always been proud that there's not a wedding ring between the lot of us. But with the passing of the years, it's suddenly beginning to distress me. I'd like to go to the wedding of someone I really loved for a change....True love - in whatever shape or form it may come - may we all in our dotage be proud to say "I was adored once too"."

Scarlett gets to know a good looking American called Chester, they have much fun together.

This evening Henrietta and Charles understand each other very good. They think about former times, that it maybe wasn't a such a bad idea to marry each other, but Hen doesn't like Charles' friends, especially Fiona, who calls her "Duckface".

When Fiona and Charles are alone she admits, that she is in love with him for years.

Something tragically happens when the bride and the bridegroom hold a speech, Gareth gets a heart attack and dies.

Most of the guests from the last wedding come to the funeral of Gareth, where Matthew hold a very touching speech.

After this sad event the last wedding took place. It's the wedding of Charles, we first don't know who he is going to marry.

In front of the church Fiona propose a toast to Charles and Duckface, so we know that he is going to marry Henrietta.

Carrie comes also to this marriage and before the ceremony starts she tells Charles that she left Hamish, because he wasn't the right man for her.

Before Charles marries hen he talks with his brother about his marriage and about Carrie.

David tells him:

"You've got three choices: one - go ahead with it. Second - go outside and say "Sorry folks, it's all off. Third. I can't think of a third."

At last Charles decide to marry Hen, but during the ceremony when the priest asks if anyone has something against the marriage of Charles and Henrietta, Charles' brother says that he thinks that his brother isn't in love with Henrietta. As the priest asks Charles if that is the truth what his brother says, he admits that he is in love with another woman. Henrietta hits him very badly.

After this scene all friends are at Charlie's home and talk about what has happened. Suddenly the doorbell rings, Carrie stands outside in the rain and excuses her, that she had come to the church in the morning. She knows that she is the woman for whom Charles stopped his marriage with Henrietta.

In the end Charles tells Carrie that he loves her and they decide that they will never be married.

"First, let me ask one thing. Do you think, after we've dried off, after we've spent lots of time together, you might agree.not to marry me? And do you think not being married to me might maybe be something you could consider doing for the rest of your life? Do you?  - I do."

You can say that "Four Weddings and a Funeral" is a typical comedy of manners.

There are a lot of puns in it. For example: "There's a sort of greatness to your lateness." Or   "To be my awful wedded wife" instead of lawful wedded wife.

The film first takes many things not serious, but finally everybody takes it serious and you have to think about the way the people came to their decision. For example Gareth - he makes many jokes about marriage in the beginning, but after a while he takes it complete serious.

My opinion:

I like the book and the film. There are so many great speeches. I don't know why, but I like Fiona very much.

"The truth is I have met the right person - only, he's not in love with me - and until I stop loving him, no one else stands a chance."

The film is very funny, but it makes/lets you think about common things as marriage or love between friends. Also the funeral is very important in the movie, because such a sad fate can happen every time. You are not alarmed before when something badly happens. Then you just have to deal with the situation as it is in this moment.

I really like this film, because it isn't just funny, it also deals with serious problems, but they are very good presented in a funny and sarcastic way.