BOTTOM LINE: The quasi-home movie/documentary style employed by director Jonathan Demme makes the experience of watching this film, at best, a dull bore; which ultimately dwarfs an otherwise stellar performance by Anne Hathaway playing against type and an unknown supporting cast who are likewise strong.

THE GOOD: For a character-driven family drama it is necessary to have a strong cast to carry the film and in this respect, “Rachel Getting Married” does manage to deliver the goods. Standing out like a beacon of light in the cast is the unusually cast Anne Hathaway who plays recovering drug addict “Kym”. For all intents and purposes, she is a juvenile delinquent who likes to rebel against her family despite yearning for their respect and acceptance while simultaneously pushing them away. She returns to the family on the eve of her sister’s wedding, disrupting everyone and everything in her path with her cynical outlook, biting one-liners and outright selfishness. Hathaway can play the sweet innocent to perfection (she has built her career on it), but in this film, none of that is present. Instead, we have a well rounded, tragic and three-dimensional portrayal of an internally conflicted woman who has never been able to get over a life-changing mistake that affected not only her but her whole family. This is a refreshing change for Hathaway who demonstrates she has much more range in this film, and is probably worthy of the oscar nomination. The remainder of the cast are likewise strong, full of unknowns for the most part, creating what looks like a real family, which is good given the stylistic choices employed for the film by director Jonathan Demme.

THE BAD: Filmmakers who try to recreate reality on film rather than dramatising it cinematically tend to create some very dull and long-winded film experiences of which “Rachel Getting Married” is no exception. Given the pedigree of Jonathan Demme, you would have expected a lot more from this film; instead we get a very cheap, indie-looking film that barely qualifies as a cinematic experience. This type of film leaves you wondering why you shelled out the money to buy a ticket for an experience that looks like a high definition version of your family album. The performances are fantastic, and the situations quite touching in concept, but the execution and style are so boring, dull and unimaginative that either walking out or reaching for the eject button are very real urges you will have while watching this piece; unless of course you enjoy paying to watch something you could see for free in real life. “Rachel Getting Married” suffers from a complete lack of stylistic vision, and although style should not overwhelm substance, in this case, the cinematic medium demands it.