Film Friday

This week's new movie was Rachel Getting married.
Plot:
A self-centered model with a history of drug problems has a weekend pass out of rehab to attending her sister's wedding. Her return and the stress of the upcoming nuptials triggers a rehashing of all the family's issues they are desperately trying to ignore for the weekend. Kym returns home and immediately seeks out her sister Rachel, they have about 30 seconds bonding before Kym's carelessness (a lit cigarette near her wedding gown) spurs the first of many fights between them. You can see they love each other but perhaps can't stand being with each other. Part of Kym's release from rehab requires drug testing and attending 12 step meetings. But her father can't let her drive (alluding to a past issue), Kym frustrated and late stumbles into her meeting interrupting another speaker. Back at home Kym is finally introduced to her sister's fiance and the best man - the speaker she interrupted at her 12 step meeting. Kym and the B.M. share a connection and have a closet interlude. This is where Kym realizes for the first time she is not going to be her sister's Maid of Honor. Kym confronts Rachel about not being the M.O.H. and Rachel finally starts to be honest about her fear that Kym would ruin her wedding. Kym continues to be selfish and badgers her sister to demote the maid of honor in favor of her (in front of the m.o.h. no less) Rachel angerly asks her friend to step down and Kym continues to get her way. Kym goes to another meeting this time sharing the story of her addiction. She reveals that at the age of 16 she was extremely high on drugs and babysitting her younger brother and on the way home from the park she loses control of the car drives off a bridge into a river and is unable to free her brother from his car seat before he drowns. Kym and the B.M. return home to find the rest of the wedding party planning the seating chart, where Rachel continues to reveal more and more that she doesn't like that fact that her sister is there and pushes Kym out of the family table to sit with extended family with the job of keeping the drunks under control. Things between Rachel and Kym continue to tense. Rachel's fiance challenges her father to a dishwasher loading contest saying he can load it in a way that will allow for 10% more dishes at a time. The contest rages on and as the father has his turn he is doing so well that he still has 15 seconds and needs more dishes, Kym grabs some from a cabinet, things continue to go well until he gets to a young child's dish with the name of Ethan on it (their dead little brother). The father is no longer able to go on and everyone leaves looking somber. Kym is the only one left in the kitchen by herself. At Rachel's wedding rehearsal dinner multiple family members and friends give beautiful and heartfelt speeches when it is Kym's turn she turns her speech into something all about her and her addition and recovery, tacking on a small appreciation for her sister to the end. The anger between Kym and Rachel come to a head as the family returns home after the dinner. Rachel sarcastically thanks Kym for making her day all about Kym and not being able to put her problems behind her long enough to be happy for Rachel. Rachel reveals she is pregnant. The whole family expect for Kym is ecstatic- Kym is upset that Rachel is using this information to stop their fight. Kym forces Rachel to continue to fight about the past and how everyone in the family is to involved in Kym's problem and recovery to notice Rachel and how Rachel was the one who was around when Kym was in rehab, and her family was dealing with Ethan's death and the parents divorce. Kym rushes off. She goes to her mother's home and confronts her mom about her addiction. Kym says that her mother most of known she was using drugs and how could her mother leave her in charge of her little brother. Kym's mother says she was the best version of herself with him and she would never harm him. Kym angerly drives off and purposely crashes the car into the woods. The next morning Kym is awaken by the police and taken home. At home Kym and her sister have a silent make up as Rachel helps treat Kym's scraps and bruises as they prepare for the wedding. The wedding goes smoothly (although a very eccentric, bohemian gathering) By the end of the wedding you feel that Kym and her sister have come to a fragile understanding. The next morning Kym prepares to return to rehab. Before Kym leaves Rachel stops her to say goodbye.

My thoughts:
Good not great. There is not a lot of closure at the end of the movie you get the feeling that this issues will continue to haunt this family for the rest of their lives. You also understand that Kym for all her faults is continuing to try to change and struggles with the fact that she is not able now or may never be able to forgive herself for her brothers death. The music in the movie is pretty great, and incorporated really well. Although I have never ever been a fan of Anne Hathaway ( usually I find her movies extremely Disney and annoying) I didn't notice that I don't let her. I still don't love her but she was pretty great in the movie, making you love her and hate her all at once.