Rachel Getting Married DVD Review By Kam Williams

By Kam Williams    

Hathaway's Oscar-Nominated Performance Released on DVD

Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Kym (Anne Hathaway) may be sisters, but they're as different as night and day. The former, a pregnant Ph.D. student, is about to marry Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe), a musician who adores her. By contrast, the latter is a lonely, embittered drug addict who has just checked out of rehab to attend the wedding.

The siblings hail from a family irreversibly fractured from the fateful day that Kym at 16 had an automobile accident which claimed the life of the brother she was babysitting. The tragedy ostensibly plunged the guilt-ridden junkie further down a self-destructive path she's now doing her best to beat with the help of a 12-Step Narcotics Anonymous program.

However, recovery has come at a cost, since Kym is so estranged from Rachel that she hasn't even met fiancée Sidney yet. And despite the fact that they are tying the knot that very weekend, she throws a temper tantrum when she learns that she wasn't picked to serve as her sister's maid of honor.

Just as in tatters is Kym's relationship with her mother (Debra Winger) who she confronts about having let her drive with her brother in the car knowing she had a substance abuse problem. When she also asks her mom why she divorced her father (Bill Irwin), their very contentious conversation escalates into a slap-happy catfight.

Fortunately, the rest of the wedding party is oblivious to their violent antics, so plans for the impending nuptials continue without interruption. Thus unfolds Rachel Getting Married, a dysfunctional family drama which employs a refreshing array of colorblind casting. Directed by Jonathan Demme and based on a wildly imaginative script by Jenny Lumet, the movie is perhaps most noteworthy for Anne Hathaway's absorbing, Oscar-nominated portrayal of a disturbed soul desperate to control the demons derailing her reality.
Forget about Rachel getting married, Kym's getting sober.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, mature themes, drug use and brief sexuality.
Running time: 113 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, filmmaker and cast commentaries, cast and crew Q&A, a "Behind-the-Scenes" featurette, and more.

To see a trailer of Rachel Getting Married,

Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the African-American Film Critics Association, and the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee. Contact him through NewsBlaze.