Cheerful Weather For The Wedding
Posted: August 8, 2013 Filed under: Book/Movie/TV Reviews | Tags: movie, period drama 2 Comments
Before I watched this movie, I didn’t realize that besides the British “bonnet dramas” of Austen, Bronte, and Gaskell adaptations, there is another kind of very specific romantic dramas that I like: stories set in 1920’s and 1930’s and revolve around the eccentricity of the British gentility. The plot is intimate, the conflict is usually personal, the humor is dry, and the characters talk with such thick accent and rapid-fire delivery that you’ll need subtitles to understand them. I Capture the Castle, Cold Comfort Farm, and Love in a Cold Climate are all excellent examples of this, and now I can add “Cheerful Weather for the Wedding” to the list.
The story can’t be simpler: it’s the wedding day of Dolly (Felicity Jones), but while her family and friends are gathered downstairs, Dolly prefers to sit in her room swigging rum and having flashbacks to her previous summer with Joseph (Luke Treadaway), who is also at the wedding.
There are all the eccentric characters you’d expect in a story like this – an overbearing yet clueless mother, a pompous uncle, a world-weary best friend, annoying cousins, a boy-crazy but brutally honest sister, and the sensible, sympathetic servants. Though they are not as memorable as the ones in say, I Capture the Castle, the performances are all good (it is so easy for Elizabeth McGovern, who plays the mother, to play a British version of Lady Grantham, but she doesn’t.) The plot can be boring if it’s not your cup of tea, but I like it, until the ending. Not because it doesn’t end the way I want, but because I don’t feel the story has built itself up to it. The climax comes out of nowhere, basically.
What I love the most about this movie though, is the look of it. The scenery is gorgeous, and the costumes are perfect. I’m a sucker for 1930’s style, and I love every single one of Dolly’s outfits – those lovely silk floral blouses worn with skirts and wide-legged pants, and that wedding gown! I think it’s the same thing that draws me to those others movies – they’re simple romantic dramas presented in insanely beautiful packages, perfect for you to get lost in for an hour or two.
14 Shades Of Grey 
I definitely watch period films for the beauty of them! I need to add this one to my list! And I agree, I love the ones that center around eccentric British families. No matter the plot, they’re usually entertaining!
Have you watched My Family, and Other Animals, or just read the book? Because the movie is wonderful! I laughed so much. I think you’d like it!
Yeah I’ve seen both versions of it. I like the adaptations, but not as much as the book, because there aren’t enough 1930’s costumes in it for my liking 😛 (most of the time the characters are in shorts and bathing suits!)