It's 1985 and popular wedding singer, come master of ceremonies Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) is looking forward to his own big day. But when his bride to be leaves him standing at the altar, his life and career is thrown into turmoil as he becomes depressed. It's not until newly acquainted Julia (Drew Barrymore), a waitress at wedding receptions, talks Robbie out of his doldrums by getting him to help with her own wedding preparations. But as they spend time together Robbie starts to get feelings for Julia, as she starts to doubt the man she is engaged to marry is right for her.
►►► Opinion
Once upon a time there was a fresh faced comedian by the name of Adam Sandler whose humour brought joy to millions, well a few hundred people, but over the years it became apparent that infact Sandler was a one trick pony and all his films were very much the same. Thankfully before anyone got tired of his repetitive acting and juvenile comedy he delivered one of the most enjoyable films to come from the 90s, that being the hugely funny "The Wedding Singer" a romantic-comedy set in the 80s where bad hair, bad fashion and cheesy music ruled the scene. To be honest the film is not really any different to any of the many other films which Sandler has fronted, it has the same gags, the same cast and of course Sandler whose main ability is to lose his temper and shout at which point we are meant to laugh. But, the one thing "The Wedding Singer" achieves is to take us back to the glorious, yes I did say glorious, 80s and in doing so warms the hearts of those who grew up during this fun time.
The plot behind "The Wedding Singer" is as safe and play-it-by numbers as you can possibly get, and within the first 15 minutes
you can guess where the film will lead and even which route of predictable troubled love it will chose to take. In the tradition of predictable romantic-comedies we have the boy-girl turbulent love affair, which in the case of "The Wedding Singer" features recently dumped Robbie and the soon to be married Julia. But by no means is it the plot which keeps you watching and not really the comedy either as all the gags have been done literally millions of times before and since. But there are many moments of charming hilarity especially as we get to laugh at the hilarious fashions of the 80's, including big hair and leg warmers as well as several wedding reception scenes where you cringe when you recognize some of the bad dancing that seems to haunt all wedding receptions, real or fake. But that is the key to the films popularity, it touches the hearts of those who remember the 80s with a fondness and wish to reminisce in full retro tastelessness.
There is no doubt in my mind that a huge contributing factor in the success of "The Wedding Singer" is the casting of the queen of romantic-comedies, Drew Barrymore in the lead role of Julia. As has become her trademark in these sorts of films, she is cute, adorable, vulnerable but also amazingly funny. The interactions between not only Barrymore and Sandler but the entire cast are brilliant and show that she has amazing comic timing. But of course this is first and foremost a Sandler vehicle and so designed to highlight his talents, well actually lack of them to be honest. Yes he is funny, at times, and his singing is also charming and surprisingly enjoyable but the jokes seem repetitive and by the end of the film you definitely start to groan. For me one of the redeeming factors of this film is that it was made prior to Sandler filling his films with his best friends, making this slightly different and in some ways more enjoyable than the films he has released since. Out of all the supporting performances there are two which truly deserve a mention those of Steve Buscemi as a drunk wedding guest and Alexis Arquette as a Boy George look a like singer in Robbie's band, both of which put in highly enjoyable and memorable performances.
But the real key to why I and many others enjoy this film has to be the retro 80s thing, most notably the soundtrack which is absolutely stuffed to the brim with 80s bands including Culture Club, The Police, Elvis Costello, Billy Idol, Thompson Twins and even Musical Youth to name just a few. Add to this some brilliant retro moments like Robbie's best mate dressing up in a Michael Jackson red leather jacket and white glove, or Julia's boyfriend imitating Don Johnson out of Miami Vice to the extent he has the theme tune blasting in his car and the 80s feel to the film is spot on.
►►► Film Summary
So for me I really enjoy "The Wedding Singer", not because it is a brilliant comedy or an amazing romantic film, it's purely because it gives a brilliant pastiche of the 80s and allows me to reminisce about an era which I still love. It also helps that it has a very memorable soundtrack and whilst Sandler doesn't do anything really special in this film, his comedy does feel a bit more refined than some of his later attempts at making us laugh. Of course this is not going to appeal to everyone and some of it's in jokes about the 80s will more than likely be lost on anyone who didn't get to appreciate them the first time round, plus it is definitely a film to stay clear of if you are bored of Sandler and his repetitive humour.
►►► DVD Package
► Special Features
Extra Footage - Well to be honest the film runs for an extra 3 minutes compared to the theatrical and previous DVD release and I cannot honestly say what they have added. What I was aware of was a couple of scenes which were slightly longer than the original edit, but this added really did not add anything new to the film or anything which may have been cut to reduce its certificate. Quite disappointing to be honest.
80s Mix Tapes Jump To Song Feature - Another lack lustre feature which gives you a brief background info on the songs used within the film and then you can jump to the point in the film to listen to them. Again a rather disappointing feature which used once doesn't require a second look.
► Picture and Sound Quality
To be honest I wasn't expecting much from the picture or sound as the film is nearly a decade old but I was pleasantly surprised as the picture quality is amazing. The film is sharp, clear and for a film which is based in the vibrant 80s it is equally vibrant on the screen with strong colouring through out. Even the dreaded flecks and scratches seem to be non existent and this really does make this film technically a joy to watch. The sound quality is equally as good although does not use the rear channels to there full extent but then I didn't expect to so much in a film which does not use many special effects such as explosions. Like the picture quality, the sound is crystal clear with a good presentation of the music whilst dialogue mainly covers the front three channels.
►►► DVD Summary
For a DVD package which is labelled as a special edition I am really disappointed. The additional footage seems to be lost and doesn't add anything to the film and the only other extra is for me a novelty which wears off after the first use. Saying that the picture and sound quality is absolutely brilliant, whether this can be justified in paying a lot more for this special edition is up to how much you care about how good the film looks and sounds.
Certificate: 12 Duration: 93 mins Year of Release: 1998 Genre: Comedy, Romance
DVD Release: 2006 Subtitles: English Audio: English Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Region: 2 Number of Discs: 1
Director(s): Frank Coraci Writer(s): Tim Herlihy
Cast: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor, Allen Covert, Matthew Glave, Ellen Albertini Dow, Angela Featherstone, Alexis Arquette, Christina Pickles, Jodi Thelen
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Altogether now " Do you really want to hurt me, do you really want to, make me cry" I loved the cheesiness of the movie, and the 80's soundtrack was pure entertainment value. Yet another 'E' for a fascinating insight to what really is a cheesefest of a movie..... xx
Hullaila 26.09.2007 18:42
My favourite Adam Sandler's movie!
tigerthecat 09.09.2007 12:03
A well deserved E for this one. I have not watched it but do love the 80's.
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)
Advantages: Great, feel good, funny film with a brilliant 80’s soundtrack Disadvantages: You might cringe when you realise that you used to look and dress like that
starry 12.04.2001 (12.04.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Wedding Singer (DVD)
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)
![The Wedding Singer [DVD] [1998]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78551374.jpg "The Wedding Singer [DVD] [1998]")
![The Wedding Singer [VHS] [1998]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/70679071.jpg "The Wedding Singer [VHS] [1998]")
![The Wedding Singer: Special Edition [1998] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78491756.jpg "The Wedding Singer: Special Edition [1998] [DVD]")
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![The Wedding Singer [UMD Mini for PSP] [1998]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78515501.jpg)
