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Friday, March 29, 2024
Hathaway an engaging character in colorful \Married\

: Along with Rosemarie DeWitt and the rest of the talented cast, Anne Hathaway's breakout performance should receive Oscar buzz.

Hathaway an engaging character in colorful \Married\

Jonathan Demme had, for all intents and purposes, washed his hands of mainstream Hollywood. Disillusioned and disinterested, the Oscar-winning director of Silence of the Lambs"" had made up his mind to focus on small, meaningful documentaries. 

 

The result is the powerful drama ""Rachel Getting Married,"" anchored by an eye-openingly raw and convincing performance by Anne Hathaway as an emotionally wounded addict who gets a weekend pass from rehab to attend her sister's wedding.  

 

Texturally, ""Rachel"" is a far cry from Demme's more popular (and far more Hollywood) projects, such as ""Silence of the Lambs,"" and 2004's remake of ""The Manchurian Candidate.""  

 

""Rachel"" trades traditional filmmaking setups for shaky camerawork and a fidgety focus that makes us feel like we are watching a home movie. He is by no means the first director to use this approach, but rarely is it done as effectively as it is in ""Rachel,"" making it an intensely personal film. 

 

By the time the microphone is passed around at the rehearsal party, audiences are not just watching the film anymore, they're in the middle of it. When the inevitable happens - you know somebody is going to grab the mic and make an ass of themselves - it's impossible not to cringe. 

 

Early on, Demme reveals Hathaway's Kym as a self-involved brat, deeply affected by the film's underlying tragedy. What that tragedy may be is unclear in the beginning, but given Hathaway's outladnish behavior, the audience knows it's heavy. Just like her on-screen family, Demme has movie-goers wanting to hug Kym and slap some sense into her all at once. She is a mess, but she's our little mess. What unfolds is a powerful portrait of the pain addiction can cause as it touches family members like ripples on a pond. 

 

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Oddly, there's joy here, too. Demme's film is just as much about unconditional love as it is about devastating loss. 

 

At its core, ""Rachel"" is a character study, and as such, it's only as good as its actors. If an audience doesn't buy the performances then the film doesn't work. Fortunately, ""Rachel"" has an extremely strong cast. The film features three-time Oscar nominee Debra Winger, frequently overlooked actor Bill Irwin and Rosemarie DeWitt, who nails her performance as Rachel. 

 

Although the film features such a strong ensemble, it's Hathaway's grownup and revelatory performance that stands out. 

 

As much as ""Rachel"" represents a shift for Demme, it's every bit a departure for Hathaway as well, who, despite a growing list of grown-up credits, has found it hard to shake her ""Princess Diaries"" image. As the awards season buzz builds, it's safe to say that she has repackaged herself in what amounts to a career-making role. The girl from ""The Princess Diaries"" has become a full-fledged woman. 

 

With a stellar cast and breakthrough performance by Hathaway, ""Rachel Getting Married"" is an invitation you'd be wise to accept. 

Grade: AB

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