My Best Friend's Wedding

Adam Mohrbacher

Reviewing the Arts

Spring 2009

Review: My Best Friend’s Wedding

With her long mane of tasseled curls and her large toothy sparkling smile Julia Roberts has gracefully been the queen-bee and main attraction of American romantic-comedy films over the past two decades. Ever since her breakthrough role as the stripper with a heart of gold, Vivian Ward, in Pretty Woman, Roberts has specialized in playing well-meaning women who just seem to be confused about this thing called love. 

The Julia Roberts 1997 “rom-com” My Best Friend’s Wedding is no exception and contains a lead character with classic “Julia Roberts attributes”. Here, Roberts plays Julianne Potter, a cute and cynical food critic living in New York. She appears to be quite content with bopping around the “Big Apple” with her gay friend and closest confidante, George Cownes, who is played with remarkable wit and flamboyance by Rupert Everett. Complications arrive with a fateful phone call from Jules long-time best bud, Michael O’Neal, played by Dermot Mulroney, a sports writer who announces that he is planing to be married in just a few days. This announcement unlocks a wave complicated and strange feelings inside Julianne, and she begins to wonder wither or not she actually has had feelings for Michael during their entire ten year friendship. Ignoring George’s pleas for her to see reason she rashly decides to head to Chicago and attempt to break up the wedding. Of course, in classic romantic comedy fashion, hilarity and chaos ensues.

The main plot of the film is one that has been seen throughout countless fluff films over the years but My Best Friend’s Wedding remains a fresh and innovative entry into the romantic comedy genre because it has so many positive things going for it. First, the film is more than worthy of attention because it is a comedy that is actually funny. The script effortlessly squeezes humor from a wide variety of sources wither that be Roberts tumbling off her bed with the news of Michael’s impending nuptials, or Michael’s finance Kim, played by Cameron Diaz, weaving her car through Lake Shore Drive traffic with crazy speed. The greatest comedic moments of the film come from a segment where Jules gay best pal, George, flies into Chicago to offer her advice and hopefully wean her away from trying to break up a perfectly healthy couple. However, the tables are turned when Roberts maliciously incorporates George into her schemes and claims to Michael that George and her are about to be married. This is done to clearly ignite Michael’s jealousy but George grows frustrated and brutally humiliates Julianne.

The acting in the film is uniformly strong from the entire main cast with the highlight clearly being Rupert Everett’s performance as George. His screen time in the film is brief but he makes such a brilliant impression as essentially Julianne’s conscience that his presence is felt long after he disappears from the screen. Roberts’ performance is also strong because it is actually a layered role. You get a sense that this is a woman who only thinks she knows what she wants. She easily conveys the idea that Jules is really unsure of pretty much everything, especially her own feelings concerning Michael. The film is also technically strong with great photography of Chicago and special consideration for little moments of beauty, such as the tennis court filled with golden balloons where Jules and Michael talk near the end of the film.

My Best Friend’s Wedding is essentially a film built upon very traditional ideas,(you never know what you have until its gone, love hurts, ect.). However, the script and the terrific cast help move the film forward and make it a rewarding as well as entertaining experience. For all of the jokes and silliness on display, (the classic spur of the moment rendition of “Say a Little Prayer for You”), the film also has ample amounts of heart and really does capture the overwhelming confusion, joy, and pain that comes along with being, or thinking that you’re in love. This is a true accomplishment and makes My Best Friend’s Wedding a worthy addition to anyone’s film collection, not just romantic-comedy or Julia Roberts fans.