- Muriel's Wedding
-
Muriel's Wedding 
Canadian theatrical release posterDirected by P. J. Hogan Produced by Lynda House
Jocelyn MoorhouseWritten by P. J. Hogan Starring Toni Collette
Rachel Griffiths
Bill Hunter
Sophie LeeMusic by Peter Best Cinematography Martin McGrath Editing by Jill Bilcock Studio CiBy 2000
Film Victoria
House & Moorhouse FilmsDistributed by Miramax Films Release date(s) 29 September 1994 Running time 106 minutes Country Australia
FranceLanguage English Budget $9 million[1] Box office $15,119,639 (USA)[1] Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian-French romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by P. J. Hogan. The film, which stars actresses Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding and improve her personal life.
Contents
Plot
A socially awkward, overweight, naïve "ugly duckling", who is obsessed with the music of ABBA, Muriel Heslop (Toni Collette) is the target of ridicule by the more fashion-conscious girls she considers her friends. She also is a perpetual daydreamer who yearns for a glamorous wedding and marriage to a man who will help improve her personal life and free her from a tedious life dominated by her demanding and often psychologically abusive father Bill (Bill Hunter), a corrupt politician who verbally lashes out at his subservient wife Betty and their unambitious children at every opportunity.
After Bill discovers Muriel has used a blank cheque to steal money to finance a vacation at a tropical resort, she leaves her family in the coastal town of Porpoise Spit to set up house in Sydney with her carefree, hedonistic friend Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths). In Sydney, she follows her dream, only to discover life's realities. Although ostensibly a comedy, Muriel's Wedding deals with serious issues. The overriding theme of following one's dream is regularly punctuated by scenes depicting the disappointments and loss of self-esteem that frequently accompany the quest. The movie is regarded as a cult film.[citation needed]
Production
Coolangatta was the locale used for Porpoise Spit. Other filming locations included Moreton Island, Darlinghurst, the Gold Coast, Parramatta, Surfers Paradise and Sydney. For the role of Muriel, Toni Collette gained 18 kg (40 lb) in seven weeks.
Cast
- Toni Collette as Muriel Heslop
- Rachel Griffiths as Rhonda Epinstall
- Bill Hunter as Bill Heslop
- Sophie Lee as Tania Degano
- Jeanie Drynan as Betty Heslop
- Daniel Lapaine as David Van Arkle
- Matt Day as Brice Nobes
- Roz Hammond as Cheryl
- Belinda Jarrett as Janine
- Pippa Grandison as Nicole
Release
The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 1994 and opened in Australia the following month. It earned US$244,969 on 14 screens in its opening weekend in the US and eventually grossed US$15,119,639 in the States.[2]
As of October 2011, the film is currently availabe on DVD[3], Laserdisc[4], VHS[5] and Netflix streaming in High-definition[6].
Critical reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said the film "is merciless in its portrait of provincial society, and yet has a huge affection for its misfit survivors... [it] has a lot of big and little laughs in it, but also a melancholy undercurrent, which reveals itself toward the end of the film in a series of surprises and unexpected developments... The film's good heart keeps it from ever making fun of Muriel, although there are moments that must have been tempting."[7]
Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle stated, "With such recent hits as Strictly Ballroom and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Australia seems to be cornering the market for odd but delightful comedies laced with substance and romance. The latest, Muriel's Wedding, is another bright, occasionally brilliant, example... The movie is much meatier than its larky comic sheen leads you to think at first... There's poignant drama in this brash, sometimes overstated film, and Muriel's transformation is truly touching."[8]
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "exuberantly funny... a crowd pleaser that spices a tired formula with genuine feeling... In the final scenes, when Hogan dares to let his humor turn edgy, Collette's performance gains in force, and Muriel's Wedding becomes a date you want to keep."[9]
The film introduced the phrase "you're terrible, Muriel" to the Australian lexicon.[citation needed]
Box office
Muriel's Wedding grossed $15,765,571 at the box office in Australia,[10] which is equivalent to $23,648,357 in 2009 dollars.
Accolades
- Wins
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film - Lynda House and Jocelyn Moorhouse
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress - Toni Collette
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actress - Rachel Griffiths
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement in Sound - Peter Best
- Australasian Performing Rights Association Award for Best Film Score - Peter Best
- Australian Film Critics Award for Best Actress - Toni Collette
- Nominations
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Director - P. J. Hogan
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay - P. J. Hogan
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actor - Bill Hunter
- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Supporting Actress - Jeanie Drynan
- BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay - P. J. Hogan
- Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay - P. J. Hogan
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Musical/Comedy - Toni Collette
Soundtrack
The music of ABBA form the backbone of the film's soundtrack. Songwriters Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson allowed their use in the film and permitted one of their hits, "Dancing Queen", to be adapted as an orchestral piece as long as the band received a percentage of the film's profits.[citation needed]
Additional popular tunes heard in the film include "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia," "Waterloo," "Fernando," and "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do," all performed by ABBA, "Sugar Baby Love" by The Rubettes, "The Tide Is High" by Blondie, "I Go To Rio" by Peter Allen, and "Happy Together" by The Turtles.
Inaccuracies and errors
- When Betty gives a blank cheque to Muriel at the beginning of the movie, the date on the cheque states "12-1-94" (12 January 1994), however when Muriel gives a cheque to her father at the end of the movie to pay some of the stolen money back, the later cheque's date shows "2/11/92" (2 November 1992), which makes the time going back.
- During the ABBA song, which Muriel and Rhonda are playing in a talent contest, Tanya and Nicole start a fight, but when Muriel and Rhonda are shown again, the "friends" heads are visible in the foreground and it is clear that the girls still sitting around their table and watching.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Muriel's Wedding (1995)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=murielswedding.htm. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ "Muriel's Wedding (1995) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. 1995. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=murielswedding.htm. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Muriels-Wedding-Sophie-Lee/dp/0788814958/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1319268543&sr=1-1
- ^ http://product.half.ebay.com/Muriels-Wedding-Laserdisc-1996/3263246&tg=info
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Muriels-Wedding-VHS-Toni-Collette/dp/6303952755/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1319268543&sr=1-3
- ^ http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Muriel_s_Wedding/
- ^ Ebert, Roger (17 March 1995). "Muriel's Wedding". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19950317/REVIEWS/503170304/1023. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ Stack, Peter (17 March 1995). "Seeking Bliss, Muriel Finds Herself Instead / Sweet 'Wedding' comedy has substance". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/03/17/DD59843.DTL. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ Travers, Peter (8 December 2000). "Muriel's Wedding". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/_/id/5948785/rid/5948786/. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office
External links
- Muriel's Wedding at the Internet Movie Database
- Muriel's Wedding at AllRovi
- Muriel's Wedding at Box Office Mojo
- Muriel's Wedding at Rotten Tomatoes
- Muriel's Wedding at Metacritic
- Muriel's Wedding at the National Film and Sound Archive
- UrbanCinefile.com article
AACTA Award for Best Film (1990-2009) Flirting (1990) · Proof (1991) · Strictly Ballroom (1992) · The Piano (1993) · Muriel's Wedding (1994) · Angel Baby (1995) · Shine (1996) · Kiss or Kill (1997) · The Interview (1998) · Two Hands (1999) · Looking for Alibrandi (2000) · Lantana (2001) · Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) · Japanese Story (2003) · Somersault (2004) · Look Both Ways (2005) · Ten Canoes (2006) · Romulus, My Father (2007) · The Black Balloon (2008) · Samson and Delilah (2009)
Complete list · (1958–1969) · (1970–1989) · (1990–2009) · (2010–present) Films directed by P. J. Hogan 1990s Muriel's Wedding (1994) · My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)2000s Categories:- Australian films
- French films
- English-language films
- 1994 films
- 1990s comedy-drama films
- 1990s romantic comedy films
- Australian comedy films
- Australian drama films
- Australian romantic comedy films
- French comedy films
- French drama films
- Directorial debut films
- Films set in New South Wales
- Films set in Sydney
- Films shot in Sydney
- Miramax Films films
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
