"Muriel's Wedding" is a comedy with dramatic elements. The film is often interesting, but many scenes aren't credible, and the humor doesn't always work.
Muriel (Toni Collette) is an Australian young woman with problems. She hasn't had a job for two years, is somewhat overweight, is getting shunned by her former friends, and spends her free time alone in her room listening to ABBA songs.
She steals a large sum of money from her parents, and spends it on a vacation, where she is befriended by old high school chum Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths). Not able to face her parents, Muriel moves away from home. Her situation continues to improve as she has an arranged marriage with a South African swimmer needing Australian citizenship. Things do not go as well for her parents, or for Rhonda.
The audience is expected to sympathize with Muriel, if not identify with her. But she has few redeeming qualities besides humility. She is a liar and a thief, she's not particularly bright, and she has no ambition in life besides marriage.
The people I feel sorry for are her parents. Her father is a garrulous local politician with three unemployed adult children still living at home. He makes the mistake of giving Muriel a blank check, and she cleans out his account and absconds. Soon he finds himself facing prison with his career destroyed. The mother is betrayed by everyone she loves.
In the first part of the film, Muriel tries to hang out with several snobbish young women who reject her. They are shallow beyond belief, and have no inhibitions about discussing their crude sexual adventures in detail.
Before meeting her husband, Muriel dates a nervous, pale fellow. He is so taken with her that he attends her wedding to somebody else. I just don't see his character attending the wedding uninvited. He would have had to go to some trouble to find out when and where it was, and certainly there are more attractive women out there for him to develop an obsession for.
Muriel's new-found husband proves to be a disappointment. He dislikes her and is only interested in Olympic training. He has a constant sneer on his face. Later in the film, he suddenly desires her. This change in his behavior isn't convincing. Even more unlikely is what happens next: Muriel, who has fantasized about marriage all her adult life, dumps her now-interested famous and dreamy husband to take care of her injured friend Rachel, who is already well cared for by her mother.
"Muriel's Wedding" is by no means a bad film, but it has been overrated. The score may have nostalgia value for some, as there are many ABBA songs in the soundtrack. (54/100)
Awarded two thumbs up! by Siskel & Ebert and described as hysterically funny (US Magazine), MURIEL S WEDDING is the zany comedy (New York Times) that ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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