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MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING: SPECIAL EDITION
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz,
Rupert Everett, Philip Bosco
Director: P.J. Hogan
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround, French, Spanish & Portuguese Dolby
Surround
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Studio: Columbia Tri Star
Features: See Review
Length: 105 Minutes
Release Date: August 28, 2001
“Jules,
do you really love him…or is this just about winning?”
Film
***1/2
I've
always had a soft spot in my heart for My
Best Friend's Wedding. I've never been the world's biggest Julia
Roberts fan, so I can easily label this her best film to date, with Notting
Hill at a close second. It's a sincere an honest romantic comedy, which is
a rare case in Hollywood moviemaking, and that's another reason I have
admiration for it. But perhaps the biggest reason I appreciate this movie is
that it helped bring its costar, Cameron Diaz, into the spotlight and illustrate
that she was more than a beautiful face, but an impressively strong actress as
well. In addition, the overall plot is without a doubt something I'm sure many
people can relate to.
Roberts
plays Julianne Potter, a successful Chicago food critic whose longtime best
friend has been Michael (Dermot Mulroney). The two shared a relationship before
splitting up after college, but they are now closer-than-ever friends. They also
made a pact after splitting up, that if they were to still be single by age
twenty eight, they would marry each other. She does admit that she has had
feelings for him since then. One night, she gets a call from him, thinking that
it's a reconsideration of getting back together, but it's not. Michael has
called to inform her that he's getting married in no less than four days time.
Right then does Julianne feel a sudden burst of anger and jealousy.
Michael's
bride to be is the wealthy and extremely beautiful Kimmy Wallace (Diaz), whose
father owns a huge cable television empire, not to mention the Chicago White Sox
in addition. What Julianne can't understand is why Michael would agree to
marry someone else so spontaneously, when she feels that he has truly had
feelings for nobody else but her. Julianne makes it her goal to thwart the
wedding and steal Michael away from the bride to be, but it's not that easy.
Upon
meeting Kimmy for the first time, she is so good-hearted and cheery, that she
immediately asks Julianne to be her maid of honor. Kimmy's act of sheer
niceness is a good countermeasure that even Julianne herself couldn't have
predicted, but that still doesn't prevent her from going through with her
plan. After going to great lengths to embarrass her, such as a howling funny
moment when Roberts forces Diaz to sing at a karaoke bar, she comes up with a
backup plan. She uses her gay best friend, and editor George, played by Rupert
Everett in a scene stealing performance, to set a jealously trap for Michael,
which does have a somewhat notable effect on him.
The
smart screenplay by Ronald Bass also boasts some impressively surprising
results. About every romantic comedy that Julia Roberts has helmed usually
concludes with her together with the man of her dreams, but My
Best Friend's Wedding makes her character into a somewhat devilish woman
who can't let go of someone so close to her that easy. It's a wonderful
change of pace for Roberts, and I respect her for taking this role in that
regard. And Ms. Diaz is rightfully cast in the role of the charming rival, and
even though we like the notion of Michael's relationship with Julianne, we end
up rooting for Kimmy respectively. Mulroney is convincing as the groom in a
compromising position, and Everett is remarkably funny as Julianne's posing
husband to be.
Funny,
touching, and at times truthful, My Best
Friend's Wedding is at the top of the romantic comedy level, and is likely
to stay there for years to come.
Columbia
Tri Star has taken yet another of its early released titles, and re-issued it to
Special Edition perfection. Having never caught a glimpse of the original disc,
I can't make a comparison between these editions, but I can't certainly note
that the transfer on this new disc is of pure, stellar quality, which is usually
the custom at Columbia Tri Star. Picture quality is consistently clear and
crisp, and avoided of any picture flaws whatsoever.
This
is a perfect use of audio for a simple, dialogue driven, romantic comedy. The
5.1 Digital presentation delivers very well on My Best Friend's Wedding, with dialogue and lively music coming
through in stellar perfection.
As
expected, CTS has upgraded the level of extras for this release, which is the
driven point to these Special Edition releases. The new issuing of My
Best Friend's Wedding boasts a nice bouquet of extras, including two
behind the scenes featurettes; an exclusive documentary titled “Unveiled: The
Making of My Best Friend's Wedding” and a short HBO On the Set featurette.
Also included is a segment titled “Wedding Do's and Don'ts”, a sing a
song to the song “Say A Little Prayer”, a Wedding Album featuring behind the
scenes footage and trivia facts, filmographies, and trailers for this film and
two other CTS releases, It Could Happen to You and About
Last Night.
Summary: