Saturday, February 8, 2014
Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral and My Big Fat Greek Wedding Wikipedia film pages
Notting Hill (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Notting Hill
A poster with a large picture of a woman shaded blue on it is stuck to a wall. A man walks in front of it.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Roger Michell
Produced by
Duncan Kenworthy
Written by
Richard Curtis
Starring
Julia Roberts
Hugh Grant
Music by
Trevor Jones
Cinematography
Michael Coulter
Editing by
Nick Moore
Studio
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Working Title Films
Distributed by
Universal Pictures
Release dates
21 May 1999
Running time
124 minutes
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Budget
$43 million
Box office
$363,889,700
Notting Hill is a 1999 British romantic comedy film set in Notting Hill, London, released on 21 May 1999. The screenplay was by Richard Curtis, who had written Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was produced by Duncan Kenworthy and directed by Roger Michell. The film stars Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts, Rhys Ifans, Emma Chambers, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee and Hugh Bonneville.
The film was well received by critics, and became the highest grossing British film released that year. The film won a BAFTA, and was nominated in two other categories. Notting Hill won other awards, including a British Comedy Award and a Brit Award for the soundtrack, and is perceived to have become a cult classic over the years.
Contents [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Music
5 Release 5.1 Critical reception
5.2 Lists
5.3 Box office
5.4 Awards and nominations
6 Others
7 References
8 External links
Plot[edit]
William "Will" Thacker (Hugh Grant) owns an independent travel bookshop in Notting Hill. He is divorced and shares his house with an uninhibited Welsh eccentric named Spike (Rhys Ifans).
Thacker encounters Hollywood star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) when she enters his shop to buy a book. Minutes later, the pair collide in the street and his orange juice spills on her clothes. He offers his house nearby for Anna to change. Afterwards she surprises Will with a kiss.
Days later, Spike remembers that "some American girl called Anna" had phoned and mentioned a "completely different name". Anna is at the Ritz, under the name "Flintstone". Will is allowed in, but her press interviews are running and he is mistaken for a journalist. (In panic he claims he works for Horse & Hound.) He has to interview the cast of Anna's new film Helix, which he has not seen. Anna calls him back in and says she has cancelled her evening appointment to go out with him. Will is delighted, but his sister Honey (Emma Chambers) is about to have a birthday party, so Anna says she will go as his date.
There, at Max's (Tim McInnerny) and Bella's (Gina McKee) house, Anna feels at home with Will's friends as they share stories of who has the most unfortunate life. Afterwards they climb into a private garden square. The next day they go to a cinema and a restaurant. Anna invites Will to her room at the Ritz, but her American boyfriend, a famous film star named Jeff King (Alec Baldwin in an uncredited cameo), has arrived unexpectedly. Will pretends to be a room-service waiter. Anna is very embarrassed and disappointed, and apologises when King steps out of the room; she thought he had broken up with her. Will realises he must leave. He then tries to forget Anna, but finds it very difficult.
Six months later, Anna turns up at Will's house, unannounced. Old pictures taken of her as a cheesecake model have been sold to the press and she needs a place to hide out. After spending the day together, Anna goes downstairs to where Will is sleeping and they embrace. They go up to the bedroom and make love, and in the morning Anna asks if she can stay longer. "Stay forever", says Will. The doorbell rings and they are stunned to see a horde of reporters, alerted by Spike's careless talk at the pub. Angry at what she views as Will's betrayal, Anna leaves and he again attempts to forget her.
A road with some cars parked on it next to a line of houses
Much of the filming took place on Portobello Road.
Six months after that, Anna returns to London to make a Henry James film, which Will had suggested. Will visits the film set and sees Anna, who invites him to watch the day's filming and to talk afterwards. A sound engineer offers Will headphones to hear the dialogue, but he overhears Anna telling her co-star that Will is "no one, just some guy from the past". Crushed, Will leaves the set immediately.
The next day, Anna comes to the bookshop with a parcel, and asks why he left. When he explains, she says that her co-star is a notorious gossip and she was being discreet. She loves him and wants to be together if he will have her. Will hears her out, but says that if she later rejected him again then he could not survive, and turns her down. She leaves Will's present behind, still wrapped; it turns out to be an original Marc Chagall painting, La Mariée, that Will owns a print of.
Will meets his friends, who are supportive of his decision, until Spike arrives and promptly calls him a "daft prick". Will realises he has made the biggest mistake of his life by letting her go. The group searches for Anna, racing across London in Max's car to the Ritz Hotel. They finally reach Anna's press conference at the Savoy Hotel and Will persuades her to stay in England with him. Anna and Will later marry, the film concluding with a shot of Will and a pregnant Anna on a bench in a London square.
Cast[edit]
Julia Roberts as Anna Scott: A Hollywood film star. She meets Will when she comes into his book shop in Notting Hill. Roberts was the "one and only" choice for the role, although Roger Michell and Duncan Kenworthy did not expect her to accept. Her agent told her it was "the best romantic comedy she had ever read".[1] Roberts said that after reading the script she decided she was "going to have to do this".[2]
Hugh Grant as William "Will" Thacker: Recently divorced owner of a travel book shop in Notting Hill. The decision to cast Grant was unanimous, as he and Richard Curtis had a "writer/actor marriage made in heaven". Michell said that "Hugh does Richard better than anyone else, and Richard writes Hugh better than anyone else", and that Grant is "one of the only actors who can speak Richard's lines perfectly".[1]
Emma Chambers as Honey Thacker: Will's younger sister, she is a fan of Anna Scott. She later marries her brother's flatmate Spike.
Hugh Bonneville as Bernie: A failing stockbroker and a friend of Will. He does not recognize Anna Scott upon meeting her and by way of small talk about the low pay in acting, asks her how much money she made on her last film.
Rhys Ifans as Spike: Will's strange Welsh flatmate who dreams of being an artist. He later marries Honey Thacker and becomes Will's brother-in-law. He is described by Will as "the stupidest person in the world, only doubled".
Tim McInnerny as Max: Will's best friend, with whom Will often stays. He and Bella host Honey's birthday party.
Gina McKee as Bella: A paraplegic lawyer who is married to Max. She is described by Will as one of the only two women that he has ever loved.
James Dreyfus as Martin: William's ineffective assistant at his bookshop.
The casting of Bonneville, McInnerny, McKee, Chambers, and Ifans as Will's friends was "rather like assembling a family". Michell explained that "When you are casting a cabal of friends, you have to cast a balance of qualities, of types and of sensibilities. They were the jigsaw that had to be put together all in one go, and I think we've got a very good variety of people who can realistically still live in the same world."[1]
Other charactersRichard McCabe as Tony: A failing restaurateur. The group meets at his restaurant.
Dylan Moran as Rufus: A thief who attempts to steal from Will's bookshop. Despite being caught on CCTV concealing a book down his trousers he professes his innocence, then asks Anna if she wants his phone number.
Alec Baldwin makes an uncredited appearance as Anna's boyfriend, Jeff King.[3]
Sanjeev Bhaskar has a cameo role role as a loud and offensive restaurant patron (who refers to Meg Ryan as the actress who has an orgasm every time she's taken out for a cup of coffee) in the restaurant Anna and Will attend.[4]
Mischa Barton appears as the child actor whom Will pretends to interview for Horse & Hound.[5]
Emily Mortimer as Will's "Perfect Girl," a potential love interest for Will.
John Shrapnel as Anna's UK press agent.
Omid Djalili has a brief appearance as the salesperson in the opening minutes of local background footage.
Production[edit]
"I would sometimes wonder what it would be like if I just turned up at my friends' house, where I used to have dinner once a week, with the most famous person at that time, be it Madonna or whomever. It all sprang from there. How would my friends react? Who would try and be cool? How would you get through dinner? What would they say to you afterwards?"
— Richard Curtis[6]
Richard Curtis developed the film from thoughts while lying awake at night. He described the starting point as "the idea of a very normal person going out with an unbelievably famous person and how that impinges on their lives".[6] Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell was approached but rejected it to work on Pushing Tin. He said that in commercial terms he had made the wrong decision, but did not regret it.[7] The producer, Duncan Kenworthy, then turned to Roger Michell, saying that "Finding someone as good as Roger, was just like finding the right actor to play each role. Roger shone out."[1]
Curtis chose Notting Hill as he lived there and knew the area, saying "Notting Hill is a melting pot and the perfect place to set a film".[8] This left the producers to film in a heavily populated area. Kenworthy noted "Early on, we toyed with the idea of building a huge exterior set. That way we would have more control, because we were worried about having Roberts and Grant on public streets where we could get thousands of onlookers." In the end they decided to film in the streets.[8] Michell was worried "that Hugh and Julia were going to turn up on the first day of shooting on Portobello Road, and there would be gridlock and we would be surrounded by thousands of people and paparazzi photographers who would prevent us from shooting". The location team, and security forces prevented this, as well as preventing problems the presence of a film crew may have caused the residents of Notting Hill, who Michell believes were "genuinely excited" about the film.[8] The location manager Sue Quinn, described finding locations and getting permission to film as "a mammoth task".[8] Quinn and the rest of her team had to write to thousands of people in the area, promising to donate to each person's favourite charity, resulting in 200 charities receiving money.[8]
"The major problem we encountered was the size of our film unit. We couldn't just go in and shoot and come out. We were everywhere. Filming on the London streets has to be done in such a way that it comes up to health and safety standards. There is no such thing as a road closure. We were very lucky in the fact that we had 100% cooperation from the police and the Council. They looked favorably on what we were trying to do and how it would promote the area."
— Sue Quinn[8]
Stuart Craig, the production designer, was pleased to do a contemporary film, saying "we're dealing with streets with thousands of people, market traders, shop owners and residents which makes it really complex".[8] Filming began on 17 April 1998 in West London and at Shepperton Studios.[1] Will's bookshop was on Portobello Road, one of the main areas in which filming took place. Other places within Notting Hill included Westbourne Park Road, Golborne Road, Landsdowne Road and the Coronet Cinema.[8] Will's house, 280 Westbourne Park Road, was owned by Richard Curtis and behind the entrance there is a grand house, not the flat in the film that was made up in the studios. The blue door was auctioned for charity. The current door is blue again. You can find The Travel Book Store on Portobello Rd 161.[9] After filming for six weeks in Notting Hill, filming moved to the Ritz Hotel, where work had to take place at night, the Savoy Hotel, the Nobu Restaurant, the Zen Garden of the Hempel Hotel and Kenwood House.[8] One of the final scenes takes place at a film premiere, which presented difficulties. Michell wanted to film Leicester Square but was declined. Police had found fans at a Leonardo DiCaprio premiere problematic and were concerned the same might occur at the staged premiere. Through a health and safety act, the production received permission to film and constructed the scene in 24 hours.[8] Interior scenes were the last to be filmed, at Shepperton Studios.[8] The final cut was 3.5 hours long, 90 minutes edited out for release.[10]
The film features the 1950 Marc Chagall painting La Mariée. Anna sees a print of the painting in William's home and later gives him what is presumably the original. Michell said in Entertainment Weekly that the painting was chosen because Curtis was a fan of Chagall's work and because La Mariée "depicts a yearning for something that's lost." The producers had a reproduction made for the film, but had to get permission from the owner as well as clearance from the Design and Artists Copyright Society. Finally, according to Kenworthy, "we had to agree to destroy it. They were concerned that if our fake was too good, it might float around the market and create problems." The article also noted that "some experts say the real canvas could be worth between $500,000 and $1 million."[11]
The film features the book Istanbul: The Imperial City (1996) by John Freely. William recommends this book to Anna, commenting the author has at least been to Istanbul. In reality, Freely teaches at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul,[12] and is the author of nine books about the city.
Music[edit]
Music was composed by Trevor Jones.[13] Several additional songs written by other artists include Elvis Costello's cover of the Charles Aznavour song "She", Shania Twain's remixed version of "You've Got A Way", as well as Ronan Keating's specially recorded cover of "When You Say Nothing at All"; the song reached number one in the British charts. The song played when Will strides down Portobello Road is "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. Tony and Max play "Blue Moon" on the piano at Tony's restaurant on the night it closes.[14] Originally, Charles Aznavour's version of "She" was used in the film, but American test screening audiences did not respond to it. Costello was then brought in by Richard Curtis to record a cover version of the song.[15] Both versions of the song appear in non-U.S. releases. The soundtrack album was released by Island Records.
Track listing1."From the Heart" – Another Level
2."When You Say Nothing at All" – Ronan Keating
3."Do What You Like" – Take That
4."She" – Elvis Costello
5."She" – Charles Aznavour
6."How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" – Al Green
7."In Our Lifetime" – Texas
8."I Do (Cherish You)" – 98 Degrees
9."Born to Cry" – Pulp
10."Ain't No Sunshine" – Lighthouse Family
11."You've Got a Way" (Notting Hill remix) – Shania Twain
12."Gimme Some Lovin'" – Spencer Davis Group
13."Will and Anna" – Trevor Jones (Score)
14."Notting Hill" – Trevor Jones (Score)
15."Ain't No Sunshine" – Bill Withers[16] (bonus track)
Release[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
The film had generally positive reviews, scoring an 82% "Certified Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[17] Variety's Derek Elley said that "It's slick, it's gawky, it's 10 minutes too long, and it's certainly not "Four Weddings and a Funeral Part 2" in either construction or overall tone", giving it an overall positive review.[3] Cranky Critic called it "Bloody damned good", as well as saying that it was "A perfect date flick."[18] Nitrate said that "Notting Hill is whimsical and light, fresh and quirky", with "endearing moments and memorable characters".[19] In his review of the film's DVD John J. Puccio noted that "the movie is a fairy tale, and writer Richard Curtis knows how much the public loves a fairy tale", calling it "a sweet film".[20] Desson Howe of The Washington Post gave the film a very positive review, particularly praising Rhys Ifans' performance as Spike.[21] James Sanford gave Notting Hill three and a half stars, saying that "Curtis' dialogue may be much snappier than his sometimes dawdling plot, but the first hour of Notting Hill is so beguiling and consistently funny it seems churlish to complain that the rest is merely good."[22] Sue Pierman of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel stated that "Notting Hill is clever, funny, romantic – and oh, yes, reminiscent of Four Weddings and a Funeral", but that the film "is so satisfying, it doesn't pay to nitpick."[23] Roger Ebert praised the film, saying "the movie is bright, the dialogue has wit and intelligence, and Roberts and Grant are very easy to like."[24] Kenneth Turan gave a good review, concluding that "the film's romantic core is impervious to problems".[25] CNN reviewer Paul Clinton said that Notting Hill "stands alone as another funny and heartwarming story about love against all odds".[26]
Widgett Walls of Needcoffee.com gave the film "three and a half cups of coffee", stating that "the humor of the film saves it from a completely trite and unsatisfying (nay, shall I say enraging) ending", but criticised the soundtrack.[27] Dennis Schwartz gave the film a negative review with a grade of "C-" citing "this film was pure and unadulterated balderdash".[28] Some criticised the film for giving a "sweetened unrealistic view of London life and British eccentricity."[29] The Independent newspaper derided the film for being unrealistic.[30]
Lists[edit]
Notting Hill was 95th on the British Film Institute's "list of the all-time top 100 films", based on estimates of each film's British cinema admissions.[4]
Box office[edit]
The film had its premiere at the Odeon, Leicester Square, on 27 April 1999.[31] It earned $116,089,678 as its overall domestic gross, with a worldwide gross of $363,889,678.[32] It totalled $27.7 million over its opening weekend, an American record,[33] the biggest opening for a romantic comedy film, beating My Best Friend's Wedding (which also starred Julia Roberts).[34] Notting Hill made another $15 million the following week.[35][36] One month after its release, Notting Hill lost its record for highest grossing opening weekend for a romantic comedy film to Runaway Bride (again starring Roberts).[37] It was the sixteenth highest grossing film of 1999,[38] and as of February 2014 is the 215th highest grossing film of all time.[39] In 2007, it became the then highest grossing British film.[40]
Awards and nominations[edit]
Notting Hill won the Audience Award for Most Popular Film at the BAFTAs in 2000,[41] and was nominated in the categories of The Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film of the year, and Best Performance by an Actor in a supporting role for Rhys Ifans.[42] The film won Best Comedy Film at the British Comedy Awards.[43] The film's soundtrack won Best Soundtrack at the Brit Awards, beating Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace.[44] The film won Best British Film, Best British Director for Roger Michell, and Best British Actor for Hugh Grant at the Empire Awards.[45] The film received three nominations at the Golden Globes, in the categories Best Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical, Best Motion Picture Actor – Comedy/Musical for Hugh Grant, and Best Motion Picture Actress – Comedy/Musical for Julia Roberts.[46]
Others[edit]
Bollywood movie "Humko Deewana Kar Gaye"[47] bears some resemblance to this movie. Some scenes are exact copies of scenes in the original.
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "About the Production". Notting Hill.com. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
2.Jump up ^ "A Romantic Comedy Dream Team". Notting Hill.com. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Elley, Derek (30 April 1999). "Notting Hill". Variety. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
4.^ Jump up to: a b "95: NOTTING HILL". British Film Institute. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
5.Jump up ^ Gordon, Jane (12 May 2007). "Mischa Barton: Little Miss Sunshine". The Mail on Sunday. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
6.^ Jump up to: a b "Behind-the-Scenes". Notting Hill.com. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
7.Jump up ^ Chris Parry. "The man who told Notting Hill to 'sod off'". eFilm Critic. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
8.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "Notting Hill, the place, the movie location". Notting Hill.com. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
9.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill – Filming Locations". Movieloci.com. Retrieved 5.7 July 2012.
10.Jump up ^ Greg Dean Schmitz. "Notting Hill (1999)". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 14 May 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
11.Jump up ^ Joe Dziemianowicz; Clarissa Cruz (11 June 1999). "Flashes". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
12.Jump up ^ Murat Taşçi; Tunçel Gŭlsoy. "John Freely Interview". Boğaziçi'nin Hafizasi alumni magazine. Scribd. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
13.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill". Filmtracks.com. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
14.Jump up ^ "'When You Say Nothing at All'". BBC. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
15.Jump up ^ Darryl Chamberlain (20 July 1999). "Elvis alive and well in Notting Hill". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
16.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill Soundtrack". last.fm.
17.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
18.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill". Cranky Critic. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
19.Jump up ^ Savada, Elias (28 May 1999). "Notting Hill". Nitrate. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
20.Jump up ^ John J. Puccio. "Notting Hill [Ultimate Edition]". DVD Town.com. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
21.Jump up ^ Desson Howe (28 May 1999). "'Notting Hill': Easy to Love". Washington Post. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
22.Jump up ^ James Sanford. "Notting Hill". Kalamazoo Gazette. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
23.Jump up ^ Sue Pierman (27 May 1999). "'Notting Hill' is perfect romantic fit for Roberts, Grant". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
24.Jump up ^ Roger Ebert (28 May 1999). "Notting Hill". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
25.Jump up ^ Kenneth Turan (28 May 1999). "Notting Hill". Calendar Live. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
26.Jump up ^ Paul Clinton (27 May 1999). "Review: Julia, Hugh a perfect match for 'Notting Hill'". CNN. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
27.Jump up ^ Widgett Walls. "Notting Hill (1999)". Needcoffee.com. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
28.Jump up ^ Dennis Schwartz (29 November 2000). "Notting Hill". Ozus' World Movie Reviews. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
29.Jump up ^ Tom Brook (5 June 1999). "Money takes over the movies". BBC News. Retrieved 22 March 2008.
30.Jump up ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/its-notting-hill-but-not-as-i-know-it-1094619.html
31.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill premieres in Leicester Square". BBC News. 27 April 1999. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
32.Jump up ^ "NOTTING HILL". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
33.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill has The Force". BBC News. 2 June 1999. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
34.Jump up ^ Brandon Gray (2 June 1999). "Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
35.Jump up ^ Brandon Gray (7 June 1999). "Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
36.Jump up ^ Brandon Gray (21 June 1999). "Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
37.Jump up ^ Brandon Gray (3 August 1999). "Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
38.Jump up ^ "1999 DOMESTIC GROSSES". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
39.Jump up ^ "WORLDWIDE GROSSES". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
40.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill breaks film record......". BBC News. 26 August 1999. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
41.Jump up ^ "2000 British Academy of Film and Television Awards". infoplease.com. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
42.Jump up ^ "Bafta nominations in full". BBC News. 1 March 2000. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
43.Jump up ^ "The Past Winners 1999". British Comedy Awards. Retrieved 22 May 2007.[dead link]
44.Jump up ^ "Brits 2000: The winners". BBC News. 3 March 2000. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
45.Jump up ^ "What are they doing?". British Theatre Guide. 20 February 2000. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
46.Jump up ^ "Notting Hill". TheGoldenGlobes.com. Retrieved 22 May 2007.
47.Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444840/board/nest/44329873
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Notting Hill
Notting Hill at the Internet Movie Database
Notting Hill at the TCM Movie Database
Notting Hill at allmovie
Notting Hill at Box Office Mojo
Notting Hill at Rotten Tomatoes
Notting Hill at Metacritic
Notting Hill Screenplay
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
Films directed by Roger Michell
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
Richard Curtis
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
Empire Award for Best British Film
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Categories: 1999 films
English-language films
1990s romantic comedy films
British films
British romantic comedy films
Best British Film Empire Award winners
Films about actors
Films set in London
Films shot in London
Screenplays by Richard Curtis
Universal Pictures films
Working Title Films films
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films
Navigation menu
Create account
Log in
Article
Talk
Read
Edit
View history
Search
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
Print/export
Languages
Български
Català
Čeština
Cymraeg
Dansk
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
Español
Euskara
فارسی
Français
贛語
한국어
हिन्दी
Bahasa Indonesia
Íslenska
Italiano
עברית
ಕನ್ನಡ
Latina
Nāhuatl
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk bokmål
Polski
Português
Русский
Simple English
Српски / srpski
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Suomi
Svenska
தமிழ்
తెలుగు
ไทย
Türkçe
Українська
Tiếng Việt
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 6 February 2014 at 06:41.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
Four Weddings and a Funeral
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four weddings poster.jpg
UK theatrical release poster
Directed by
Mike Newell
Produced by
Duncan Kenworthy
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner
Richard Curtis
Written by
Richard Curtis
Starring
Hugh Grant
Andie MacDowell
James Fleet
Simon Callow
John Hannah
Kristin Scott Thomas
Music by
Richard Rodney Bennett
Cinematography
Michael Coulter
Editing by
Jon Gregory
Studio
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Working Title Films
Channel Four Films
Distributed by
Gramercy Pictures
Rank Film Distributors
Release dates
20 January 1994 (Sundance Festival)
13 May 1994 (UK)
Running time
117 minutes
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
British Sign Language
Budget
$4.4 million
Box office
$245,700,832
Four Weddings and a Funeral is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It was the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant. The film was an unexpected success, becoming the highest-grossing British film in cinema history at the time, with worldwide box office in excess of $245.7 million, and receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.[1][2]
Contents [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Music
4 Reception 4.1 Critical response
4.2 Box office
5 Accolades 5.1 Wins
5.2 Nominations
5.3 Recognition
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Plot[edit]
The film follows the adventures of a group of friends through the eyes of Charles (Hugh Grant), a debonair but faux pas-prone Briton, who is smitten with Carrie (Andie MacDowell), an American whom Charles repeatedly meets at weddings and at a funeral.
The first wedding is that of Angus (Timothy Walker) and Laura (Sara Crowe), at which Charles is the best man. Charles and his collection of single friends wonder if they will ever get married. At this wedding, Charles meets Carrie for the first time and spends the night with her. Carrie teases him by pretending that, now they have been to bed together, they will also have to get married, to which Charles endeavours to respond before realising she is joking. She then goes back home to America, observing that they may have missed an opportunity.
The second wedding is that of Bernard (David Haig) and Lydia (Sophie Thompson), a couple who got together at the previous wedding. Charles is happy to discover that Carrie is attending the wedding, until she introduces him to her fiancé, Sir Hamish Banks (Corin Redgrave), a wealthy politician from Scotland. At the reception, Charles finds himself seated at a table with several ex-girlfriends who relate embarrassing stories about his inability to be discreet, and afterwards bumps into Henrietta (Anna Chancellor), known among Charles' friends as "Duckface", with whom he had a particularly difficult relationship.
As the evening wears on, Charles finds himself in an empty hotel suite watching Carrie and Hamish leave in a taxicab, only to be trapped in the bath after the newlyweds suddenly stumble into the room to have sex. After Charles awkwardly exits the room, Henrietta confronts him about his habit of "serial monogamy", telling him that he is afraid of letting anyone get too close to him. Shortly after this encounter, Charles runs into Carrie (without her fiancé), and they end up spending another night together.
A month later, Charles receives an invitation to Carrie's wedding in Scotland. While shopping for a present in London he accidentally bumps into Carrie in a shop and ends up helping her select her wedding dress. Carrie also astonishes him with a list of her more than thirty sexual partners (he learns he is #32). He later tries to confess his love to her and hints that he would like to have a relationship with her. However, he says it rather lamely, and the confession obviously comes too late.
The third wedding is that of Carrie and Hamish at a Scottish castle. Charles attends, depressed at the prospect of Carrie's marrying Hamish. As the reception gets under way, Gareth (Simon Callow) instructs his friends to go forth and seek potential mates; Fiona's brother, Tom (James Fleet), stumbles through an attempt to connect with a woman until she innocently reveals that she is the minister's wife, while Charles's flatmate, Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman), strikes up a conversation with a tall, attractive American named Chester. As Charles watches Carrie and Hamish dance as husband and wife, Charles's friend Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas) deduces his feelings about Carrie. When Charles asks why Fiona is not married, she confesses that she has always loved Charles since they first met years ago. Charles is surprised and empathetic, but does not requite her love. During the groom's toast, Gareth dies suddenly of a heart attack.
The funeral is that of Gareth. At the funeral, Gareth's partner Matthew (John Hannah) recites the poem Funeral Blues ("Stop all the clocks...") by W. H. Auden, commemorating his relationship with Gareth.[3][4] After the funeral, Charles and Tom have a discussion about whether hoping to find your "one true love" is just a futile effort, and ponder that, while their clique have always viewed themselves as proud-to-be-single, Gareth and Matthew had in fact been a "married" couple among them all the while.
The fourth wedding takes place ten months later, and is that of Charles, who has decided to marry Henrietta. However, moments before the ceremony, Carrie arrives at the church and reveals to Charles that she and Hamish are no longer together. Charles has a crisis of confidence, which he reveals to his deaf brother David (David Bower) and Matthew. At the altar, when the vicar asks if anyone knows a reason why the couple should not marry, David asks Charles to translate for him, and says in sign language that he suspects the groom is having doubts and loves someone else. The vicar asks whether Charles does love someone else, and Charles replies, "I do." Henrietta punches Charles, bringing the wedding to an abrupt halt.
Carrie visits Charles afterward to apologise for coming to the wedding. Charles confesses that, while standing at the altar, he realised that for the first time in his life he totally and utterly loved one person, "and it wasn't the person standing next to me in the veil." Charles makes a proposal of lifelong commitment without marriage to Carrie, saying, "Do you think not being married to me might maybe be something you could consider doing for the rest of your life?" Carrie responds by saying, "I do."
The song "Chapel of Love" is then played as we see Henrietta marrying an officer in the Grenadier Guards, Scarlett marrying Chester, David marrying his girlfriend Serena (Robin McCaffrey), Tom marrying his distant cousin Deirdre (whom he met, for the second time in 25 years, at Charles's wedding and instantly fell for), Matthew with a new partner (Duncan Kenworthy), Fiona marrying Prince Charles, and Charles and Carrie with their son (apparently unmarried).
Cast[edit]
Hugh Grant as Charles
Andie MacDowell as Carrie
James Fleet as Tom
Simon Callow as Gareth
John Hannah as Matthew
Kristin Scott Thomas as Fiona
David Bower as David
Charlotte Coleman as Scarlett
Timothy Walker as Angus
Sara Crowe as Laura
Rowan Atkinson as Father Gerald
David Haig as Bernard
Sophie Thompson as Lydia
Corin Redgrave as Sir Hamish Banks
Anna Chancellor as Henrietta ("Duckface")
Duncan Kenworthy (uncredited) as Matthew's "gorgeous" new boyfriend
Production[edit]
The film was shot mainly in London and the Home Counties, including Hampstead, Islington where the final moments take place on Highbury Terrace, Greenwich Hospital, Betchworth in Surrey, Amersham in Buckinghamshire, St Bartholomew-the-Great (wedding #4) and West Thurrock in Essex. The scenes set in Scotland were filmed in Scotland.[citation needed] Exterior shots of guests arriving for the funeral were filmed in Thurrock, Essex overlooking the River Thames with the backdrop of the Dartford River Crossing and at stately homes in Bedfordshire (Luton Hoo for wedding two reception) and Hampshire.[5] Many of the extras were recruited by Amber Rudd who is described in the credits as "Aristocracy Co-ordinator"—among those used were Lords Burlington and Woolton.
Music[edit]
The original score was composed by British composer Richard Rodney Bennett. The movie also featured a soundtrack of popular songs, including a cover version of The Troggs' "Love Is All Around" performed by Wet Wet Wet that remained at number 1 in the British charts for fifteen weeks and was then the ninth (now twelfth) biggest selling single of all time in Britain. This song would later be adapted into "Christmas Is All Around" and sung by the character of Billy Mack in Richard Curtis' 2003 film Love Actually, in which Grant also stars. The soundtrack also features Elton John's "Crocodile Rock", "But Not for Me", and "Chapel of Love", and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive".
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
The film was very well received with critics, currently holding a 96% "Certified Fresh" approval on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus stating, "While frothy to a fault, Four Weddings and a Funeral features irresistibly breezy humor, and winsome performances from Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell."[6]
Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it "delightful and sly", and directed with "light-hearted enchantment" by Newell. He praised Grant's performance, describing it as a kind of "endearing awkwardness".[7]
The film did have its detractors, though. Writing for the Chicago Reader, Jonathan Rosenbaum called the film "generic" and "standard issue", stating that the audience shouldn't "expect to remember it ten minutes later".[8]
Time magazine writer Richard Corliss was less scathing, but agreed that it was forgettable, saying that people would "forget all about [the movie] by the time they leave the multiplex," even joking at the end of his review that he had forgotten the film's name.[9]
Box office[edit]
Upon its North American limited release on 11 March 1994, Four Weddings and a Funeral opened with $138,486 in 5 theatres.[10] But upon its wide release on 15 April 1994, the film topped the box office with $4,162,489.[11] The film would continue to gross $53,700,832 in North America with an additional $193 million internationally, earning $245,700,832 worldwide.[12]
Accolades[edit]
Wins[edit]
BAFTA Awards[13]Best Film
Best Direction (Mike Newell)
Best Actor (Hugh Grant)
Best Supporting Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas)
Australian Film Institute[13]Best Foreign Film
British Comedy Awards[13]Best Comedy Film
César Awards[13]César Award for Best Foreign Film
Chicago Film Critics[13]Most Promising Actor (Hugh Grant)
Evening Standard Awards[13]Best Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas)
Best Screenplay (Richard Curtis)
Golden Globe Awards[13]Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy (Hugh Grant)
London Film Awards[13]British Film of the Year
British Director of the Year (Mike Newell)
British Producer of the Year (Duncan Kenworthy)
British Screenwriter of the Year (Richard Curtis)
Writers Guild of America Award[13]Best Original Screenplay (Richard Curtis)
Writers' Guild of Great Britain[13]Film – Screenplay (Richard Curtis)
Nominations[edit]
Academy Awards[13]Best Picture (lost to Forrest Gump)
Best Original Screenplay – Richard Curtis (lost to Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction)
BAFTA Awards[13]Best Film Music – Richard Rodney Bennett (lost to Backbeat)
Best Original Screenplay – Richard Curtis (lost to Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction)
Best Supporting Actor – Simon Callow (lost to Samuel L. Jackson for Pulp Fiction)
Best Supporting Actor – John Hannah (lost to Samuel L. Jackson for Pulp Fiction)
Best Supporting Actress – Charlotte Coleman (lost to Kristin Scott Thomas for this film)
Directors Guild of America Award[13]Outstanding Directoring - Feature Film – Mike Newell (lost to Robert Zemeckis for Forrest Gump)
Golden Globe Awards[13]Best Musical or Comedy (lost to The Lion King)
Best Screenplay – Richard Curtis (lost to Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction)
Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy – Andie MacDowell (lost to Jamie Lee Curtis for True Lies)
Recognition[edit]
The film was voted the 27th greatest comedy film of all time by readers of Total Film in 2000. In 2004, the same magazine named it the 34th greatest British film of all time. It is number 96 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".
See also[edit]
Notting Hill (1999), also written by Curtis and starring Grant
Love Actually (2003), another film by Curtis starring Grant
Black Versace dress of Elizabeth Hurley, worn by Hurley to the film's premiere
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Business Data for Four Weddings and a Funeral Internet Movie Database, accessed 15 February 2007.
2.Jump up ^ Richard Curtis. Cinema.com. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
3.Jump up ^ BBC Leicester: Interview with Simon Callow Retrieved 2012-05-07
4.Jump up ^ John Hannah Unofficial Website: John Hannah interview in The Scotsman, 17 April 2000 Retrieved 2012-05-07
5.Jump up ^ Filming Locations for Four Weddings and a Funeral. Movie-locations.com. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
6.Jump up ^ Four Weddings and a Funeral at Rotten Tomatoes
7.Jump up ^ Four Weddings And A Funeral :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews. Rogerebert.suntimes.com. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
8.Jump up ^ Four Weddings and a Funeral. Chicago Reader. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
9.Jump up ^ CINEMA: Four Weddings and a Funeral: Well Groomed. TIME (14 March 1994). Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
10.Jump up ^ Weekend Box Office Results for 11–13 March 1994. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
11.Jump up ^ Weekend Box Office Results for 15–17 April 1994. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
12.Jump up ^ Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 16 August 2011.
13.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n IMDb: Awards for Four Weddings and a Funeral Retrieved 2012-05-07
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral at the British Film Institute's Film and TV Database
Four Weddings and a Funeral at the Internet Movie Database
Four Weddings and a Funeral at the TCM Movie Database
Four Weddings and a Funeral at allmovie
Four Weddings and a Funeral at Box Office Mojo
Four Weddings and a Funeral at Rotten Tomatoes
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
Films directed by Mike Newell
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
Richard Curtis
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
BAFTA Award for Best Film
Categories: 1994 films
1990s romantic comedy films
1990s romantic drama films
Best Foreign Language Film César Award winners
British films
British comedy-drama films
British independent films
British LGBT-related films
British romantic comedy films
English-language films
British Sign Language films
Films directed by Mike Newell
Films set in England
Films shot in England
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films
Screenplays by Richard Curtis
Working Title Films films
Navigation menu
Create account
Log in
Article
Talk
Read
Edit
View history
Search
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
Print/export
Languages
العربية
Aragonés
Български
Català
Čeština
Cymraeg
Deutsch
Emiliàn e rumagnòl
Español
Euskara
فارسی
Français
Italiano
עברית
Latina
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk bokmål
Norsk nynorsk
Polski
Português
Русский
Simple English
Suomi
Svenska
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 25 January 2014 at 09:33.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Joel Zwick
Produced by
Gary Goetzman
Tom Hanks
Rita Wilson
Written by
Nia Vardalos
Starring
Nia Vardalos
John Corbett
Lainie Kazan
Michael Constantine
Music by
Alexander Janko
Chris Wilson
Cinematography
Jeffrey Jur
Editing by
Mia Goldman
Studio
Playtone
Gold Circle Films
MPH Entertainment
HBO Pictures
Distributed by
IFC Films
Release dates
April 19, 2002(United States)
August 16, 2002(Canada)
Running time
95 minutes
Country
Canada
United States
Language
English
Greek
Budget
$5 million
Box office
$368,744,044[1]
My Big Fat Greek Weddingis a 2002 Canadian-American romantic comedy filmwritten by and starring Nia Vardalosand directed by Joel Zwick. The film is centered on Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos, a middle classGreek Americanwoman who falls in love with a non-Greek upper middle class"White Anglo-Saxon Protestant" Ian Miller. At the 75th Academy Awards, it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. A sleeper hit, the film became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time,[2]and grossed $241.4 million in North America, despite never reaching number one at the box office during its release (the highest-grossing film to accomplish this feat).
Contents [hide]
1Plot
2Cast
3Production
4Location and release dates
5Reception and performance
6Lawsuits
710th-anniversary edition
8My Big Fat Greek Life
9References within the film
10Cultural references to the film
11Sequel
12References
13External links
Plot[edit]
Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is going through an early midlife crisis. At thirty, she is the only woman in her family who has "failed." Her family expects her to "marry a Greek-(American) boy, make Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day she dies." Instead, Toula is stuck working in the family business in Chicago, a restaurant, "Dancing Zorba's." In contrast to her "perfect" sister, Athena (Stavroula Logothetis), Toula is frumpy and cynical. She fears she's doomed to be stuck with her life as it is.
At the restaurant, she briefly sees Ian Miller, a handsome school teacher. This event, combined with an argument with her overly-patriotic father, Gus - who merely wants his daughter to marry and settle down rather than pursue a career - permits her to begin taking computer classes at a local college. She also gets contact lenses, wears her hair curly, and begins to use makeup. Maria, her mother, and her aunt Voula (Andrea Martin) then contrive a way to get Gus to allow her to work at Voula's travel agency.
Toula feels much better in her new job, especially when she notices Ian hanging around looking at her through the window. They finally introduce themselves and begin dating. Toula keeps the relationship secret from her family until some weeks later when Gus finds out. He throws a fit because Ian is not an ethnic Greek and orders Toula to end the relationship, but Ian and Toula continue to see each other against Gus's wishes. Ian proposes marriage to her, she accepts. Gus is hurt and infuriated, feeling his daughter has betrayed him, and Ian agrees to be baptizedin the Greek Orthodox Churchto be worthy of her family.
As the months pass, the wedding planning hits snag after snag as Toula's numerous relatives "helpfully" interfere. Her father insists on inviting the entire family, all of their friends and distant relatives, to the ceremony, her mother orders the invitations but misspells Ian's mother's name, and Toula's cousin Nikki (Gia Carides) orders tacky bridesmaids' dresses. Toula is horrified to learn that her parents invited the entire family to what was meant to be a "quiet" dinner, and the groom's demure and private parents, not used to such cultural fervor, are overwhelmed.
The wedding day dawns with liveliness and hysteria, but the traditional wedding itself goes without a hitch. Gus gives a speech accepting Ian and the Millers as family and buys the newlyweds a house right next door to him. An epilogueshows the new couple's life six years later in which they have a daughter, Paris, whom they raise in the Greek style, but Toula tells her she can marry anyone she wants when she grows up after she says she wants to go to Brownies instead of Greek school.
Cast[edit]
Nia Vardalosas Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos
John Corbettas Ian Miller
Lainie Kazanas Maria Portokalos
Michael Constantineas Kostas "Gus" Portokalos
Andrea Martinas Aunt Voula
Louis Mandyloras Nick Portokalos
Gia Caridesas Cousin Nikki
Joey Fatoneas Cousin Angelo
Stavroula Logothettis as Athena Portokalos
Ian Gomezas Mike, Ian's best man
Bruce Grayas Rodney Miller
Fiona Reidas Harriet Miller
Jayne Eastwoodas Mrs. White
Arielle Sugarman as Paris Miller
Production[edit]
My Big Fat Greek Weddingstarted as a one-woman play written by and starring Vardalos, performed for six weeks at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in Los Angelesin the summer of 1997.[3]Vardalos later jokingly stated that she only wrote the play "to get a better agent."[4]The play was based on Vardalos's own family in Winnipegin Canada, and on her experience marrying a non-Greek man (actor Ian Gomez).[4]The play was popular, and was sold out for much of its run, in part due to Vardalos's marketing it across Greek Orthodoxchurches in the area.[5]A number of Hollywood executives and celebrities saw it, including actress Rita Wilson, who is herself of Greek origin;[5]Wilson convinced her husband, actor Tom Hanks, to see it as well.
Vardalos began meeting various executives about making a film version of the play, and began writing a screenplay as well. However, the meetings proved fruitless because the executives insisted on making changes that they felt would make the film more marketable, which Vardalos objected to: these included changing the plot, getting a known actress in the lead role (Marisa Tomeiwas one name mentioned),[5]and changing the family's ethnicity to Hispanic.[4]Two months after the play's initial run ended, Hanks's production company, Playtone, contacted Vardalos about producing a film based on her vision for it; they also agreed to remount the play in early 1998, this time at LA's Globe Theatre.[3]Hanks later said that casting Vardalos in the lead role "brings a huge amount of integrity to the piece, because it's Nia's version of her own life and her own experience. I think that shows through on the screen and people recognize it."[4]
In 2000, while in Torontodoing pre-production for the film, Vardalos and Playtone producer Gary Goetzmanoverheard actor John Corbett (who was in town shooting the film Serendipity) at a bar, telling a friend of his about having read the script for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and being upset that he couldn't make the auditions. Vardalos and Goetzman approached Corbett and offered him the part of Ian Miller on the spot, which he accepted.[4]
Location and release dates[edit]
Parts of the film were shot in Greektown, Toronto
Despite being based on life in the Greek community of Winnipeg, the film was set in Chicago, and shot in both Torontoand Chicago. Toronto's Ryerson Universityand Greektownneighborhood feature prominently in the film. The home used to depict Gus and Maria Portokalos' residence (as well as the home bought next door at the end of the film for Toula and Ian) is located on Glenwood Crescent just off O'Connor Drive in East York. The real home representing the Portokalos' residence actually has most of the external ornamentation that was shown in the film. Also, some minor parts of the movie were shot in Jarvis High School in Toronto.
After a February 2002 premiere, it was initially released in the United States on April 19, 2002. That summer it opened in Iceland, Israel, Greece, and Canada. The following fall and winter it opened in Turkey, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Norway, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Taiwan, the Philippines, Egypt, Peru, Sweden, Mexico, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Switzerland (German speaking region), France, Poland, Kuwait, Estonia, and Lithuania. It was finally released in South Korea in March 2003, and Japan in July 2003.
Reception and performance[edit]
My Big Fat Greek Weddingbecame a sleeper hitand grew steadily from its limited release. Despite never hitting the number one spot and being an independent film with a $5 million budget, it ultimately grossed over $368.7 million worldwide, becoming one of the top romantic films of the 21st century according to Echo Bridge Entertainment.[1]It was the fifth highest-grossing film of 2002 in the United States and Canada,[6]with USD$241,438,208, and the highest-grossing romantic comedy in history.[2]Domestically, it is also the highest-grossing film never having been number one on the weekly North American box office charts.[7]The film is among the most profitable of all time, with a 6150% return on an (inflation adjusted) cost of $6 million to produce.[8]
The movie received generally positive reviews. Based on 121 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating from critics of 76%, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus was, "Though it sometimes feels like a television sitcom, My Big Fat Greek Weddingis good-hearted and lovable."[9]By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 62, based on 29 reviews, which is considered to be "Generally favorable reviews".[10]
Lawsuits[edit]
The cast (with the exception of Nia Vardalos, who had a separate deal), as well as Hanks's production company, Playtone, later sued the studio for their part of the profits, charging that Gold Circle Films was engaging in so-called "Hollywood accounting" practices.[11]
10th-anniversary edition[edit]
In 2012, a 10th anniversary edition of the movie was released. The edition includes a DVD version and a digital copy of the movie and features deleted scenes as well as a 30-minute retrospective with Vardalos and Corbett.
My Big Fat Greek Life[edit]
Main article: My Big Fat Greek Life
The film inspired the brief 2003 TV series My Big Fat Greek Life, with most of the major characters played by the same actors, with the exception of Steven Eckholdtreplacing Corbett as the husband. Corbett had already signed on to the TV series Lucky. He was scheduled to appear as the best friend of his replacement's character, but the show was cancelled before he appeared. The show received poor reviews from critics noting the random character entrances and serious plot "adjustments" that did not match the film.
The 7 episodes from the series are available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, whose TV studio divisionproduced the show.
References within the film[edit]
Throughout the entire film, Gus continually uses Windex, the popular window cleaner, as a remedy for everything.
The film makes references to Zorba the Greek(1964), The Lost Boys(1987), That Thing You Do!(1996), and Meet the Parents(2000), while spoofing Thoroughly Modern Millie(1967).
Cultural references to the film[edit]
Another independent Canadian feature, Mambo Italiano(2003), referenced Wedding. The film was also parodied in the 2006 film Date Movie.
The film's title has been used as a snowclone, being copied across various titles:
An episode of the 15th seasonof The Simpsonsis titled "My Big Fat Geek Wedding".
A 2003 Fox reality serieswas entitled My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance, followed up in 2004 by the short-lived My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss.
The 2005 film My Big Fat Independent Moviewas both named after, and parodied, the film.
A 2006 episode of Veronica Marsis titled "My Big Fat Greek Rush Week".
In 2008, TV production firm DCD Media produced My Big Fat Mexican Wedding, a documentary about the marriage of Manuel Uribe, formerly the world’s heaviest man, with his girlfriend Claudia Solis.
NDTV(a Southeast AsianBroadcast Channel) runs a series of episodes on lavish weddings, called My Big Fat Indian Wedding.
An episode of Ben 10is titled My Big Fat Alien Wedding.
Channel 4in the UK produced a documentary called My Big Fat Gypsy Weddingabout gypsy and traveller weddings, followed by a mini-series called Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.
An episode of the cooking show Good Eatsrevolving around gyros was titled "My Big Fat Greek Sandwich".
Sequel[edit]
In a 2009 interview for her movie My Life in Ruins, asked about a possible sequel for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Vardalos stated that she had an idea for a sequel and had started writing it, hinting that, like Ruins, the film would be set in Greece.[12]
Asked about a sequel again in a November 2012 interview, she stated, "Well, actually, yes. And it's only now that I've really become open to the idea. Over the years, I've heard from everybody about what the sequel should be. People next to me at Starbucks would say, 'hey, let me tell you my idea' and I'd be like 'hey, I'm just trying to get a cup of coffee.' I never thought much about it. But then when John (Corbett) and I recently sat down to do that interview (for the 10th anniversary edition), we laughed so hard through the whole thing. It made me think that it's time. He said, "come on, write something, will you?" And I now think I will. We have such an easy chemistry together. And we have chemistry because we never 'did it.' That's the surefire way to kill chemistry in a scene. You have to make sure your actors don't 'do it' off-screen. If they don't 'do it,' then they'll have chemistry on camera."[13]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: ab"My Life in Ruins".Echo Bridge Entertainment. Retrieved on May 12, 2008
2.^ Jump up to: ab"TV Review - My Big Fat Greek Life". Entertainment Weekly. 2003-04-07. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
3.^ Jump up to: abMy Big Fat Greek Wedding Headed for L.A.'s Globe Jan. 15 -- and Film, Willard Manus, Playbill, January 15, 1998
4.^ Jump up to: abcdeMy Big Fat Greek Wedding: About the Production, Hollywood Jesus, 2002
5.^ Jump up to: abcNia Vardalos interview, Robin Rea, Screenmancer.com
6.Jump up ^Box Office Mojo
7.Jump up ^"Top Grossing Movies that never hit #1". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
8.Jump up ^Staff (September 15, 2010). "The 15 Most Profitable Movies of All Time". CNBC. Retrieved September 15, 2010.The rankings cited in this article have been disputed as some movies were not included.
9.Jump up ^"My Big Fat Greek Wedding Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
10.Jump up ^"My Big Fat Greek Wedding reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
11.Jump up ^Tom Hanks sues over 'Greek Wedding' profit
12.Jump up ^Extratv.com
13.Jump up ^The Huffington Post
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Weddingat the Internet Movie Database
My Big Fat Greek Weddingat allmovie
My Big Fat Greek Weddingat Box Office Mojo
My Big Fat Greek Weddingat Rotten Tomatoes
My Big Fat Greek Weddingat Metacritic
[show]
v·
t·
e
Films directed by Joel Zwick
[show]
v·
t·
e
Tom Hanks
Categories: 2002 films
2000s romantic comedy films
American romantic comedy films
English-language films
Greek-language films
Eastern Orthodox ecumenical and interfaith relations
Films directed by Joel Zwick
Films set in Chicago, Illinois
Films shot in Toronto
Greek-American culture
Independent films
Interfaith romance films
Playtone films
Navigation menu
Create account
Log in
Article
Talk
Read
Edit
View history
Search
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
Print/export
Languages
Català
Dansk
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
Español
Français
Հայերեն
Íslenska
Italiano
עברית
Latina
Magyar
Nederlands
日本語
Polski
Português
Русский
Српски / srpski
Suomi
Svenska
ไทย
Українська
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 22 January 2014 at 04:14.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Useand Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment