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Member since:30.10.2001
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80's mullets, 80's clothes, 80s music and a predictable story-line, roll them all together and what have you got? That's right, The Wedding Singer, a romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. I can already hear some of you tearing your hair out and screaming NO! But wait, give this little gem of a film a chance and you may well be presently surprised.
Sandler plays Robbie Hart and there are no prizes for guessing he is a wedding singer! Robbie is a genuinely nice guy who not only sings at weddings but teaches old women how to sing and gets paid in meatballs. The film opens when Robbie is singing at a wedding and he meets Julia (Barrymore) who is waitressing. They have a scene together which sets out the plot for the remainder of the film as we learn that Robbie is due to marry his highschool sweetheart Linda and Julia is engaged to Glenn, although she admits that she is not sure how serious he is.
When Linda fails to show up for the wedding Robbie nearly has a breakdown, vividly shown in a very funny scene where Robbie sings a self-penned punk song called Love Stinks to a newlywed couple.
Julia saves Robbie from falling too far into depression by getting his mind off his woes by helping her plan for her wedding, tactless I know, but it seems to work. Then again spending time with Drew Barrymore would certainly bring a smile to my face! As the film progresses we see Robbie fall hopelessly in love with Julia and vica-versa, but of course Julia doesn't see it as she still thinks she loves Glenn. The rest of the film centres around whether or not the kind-hearted Hart can win the hand of Julia from the nasty Miami Vice wanna-be Glenn. Of course being Hollywood we already know the answer, a fact that is made even clearer when Julia realizes that she is soon to become Mrs Julia Gulia!!
The plot itself is fairly standard fayre for a romantic comedy but it remains a cut above most others through several factors. Firstly the two lead characters are both believable but more importantly likeable, especially Hart, a guy who seems to be able to help with any problem. The best example of this is in a very sweet scene where Hart is singing at a Barmitzvah and a podgy unpopular kid can't find anyone to dance with, so Robbie sets it up for him to dance with Julia and he immediately becomes the envy of every teenage boy in the room.
Secondly, I don't know about you, but usually with romantic comedies we only ever really get to see the two leads and I find this a bit dull. In The Wedding Singer there are some excellent cameo appearances which add to the feel of the film and make the film far more enjoyable. As you would come to expect from a film of this genre they are all stereo-types but, as this film is set in 1985, the audience can laugh at them on two levels. Some of the most notable cameos are the tacky rival wedding singer Jimmie Morris (John Lovitz), the drunken best-man played by the brilliant Steve Buscemi, Robbie's best friend Larry, a wannabe womaniser and, last but not least, George the gay singer in Robbie's band who only knows one song, Culture Club's Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me.
The second great thing in the movie is the script. Despite working with an age-old plot the scriptwriter Tim Herlihy gives the film a real freshness and above all sense of fun. This really is one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Also the little touches added by producers Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo are genuinely heart-warming at times.
One thing that really must be mentioned about this film is the soundtrack. Okay, with hindsight a lot of 80's music was awful, but this film reminded me of all that was great about 80's music. From David Bowie's China Girl to Dead Or Alive's You Spin Me Round every track is a classic. The other god thing about the soundtrack is the way in which the songs mirror what is hapening in the movie, for example when Robbie goes job-hunting we hear the strains of Money (That's What I Want) and there can be no surprise that Billy Idol's White Wedding is also heard. And I hate to spoil it but Billy also makes a cameo appearance during the movie.
Although this film is no oscar winner, on any level, it is a very sweet, romantic and funny movie and thanks to some excellent characterization the end is truly heart-warming. I would recommend this film to anybody who likes to be entertained but especially to those who, like me remember the 80's. So please put on those leg-warmers, leather straps around the wrists ala A-ha and sit back, relax and enjoy a very funny film........silly 80's accessories are optional!
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Don't just think ofThe Wedding Singeras an Adam Sandler comedy--though it most certainly ... more
is that. But also think of it as the tip of the wave of the 1980s nostalgia craze that followed on the heels of the 1970s nostalgia craze. Set in the post-disco, n...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Don't just think ofThe Wedding Singeras an Adam Sandler comedy--though it most certainly ... more
is that. But also think of it as the tip of the wave of the 1980s nostalgia craze that followed on the heels of the 1970s nostalgia craze. Set in the post-disco, n...
Postage & Packaging: £2.69 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Don't just think ofThe Wedding Singeras an Adam Sandler comedy--though it most certainly ... more
is that. But also think of it as the tip of the wave of the 1980s nostalgia craze. Set in the post-disco, new wave era, the film tells the story of Robbie Hart (Sa...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Don't just think ofThe Wedding Singeras an Adam Sandler comedy--though it most certainly ... more
is that. But also think of it as the tip of the wave of the 1980s nostalgia craze that followed on the heels of the 1970s nostalgia craze. Set in the post-disco, n...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Great music you can sing along too (if your old enough) Funny script with lots of romance thrown in too. Disadvantages: Well if you didn't like the 80's music, then this may not appeal to you. You might be shocked at the dress sense, lol.
niclemamy 12.10.2001 (12.10.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Wedding Singer (DVD)
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