A large middle-class suburban household in America gets ready for daughter Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) to marry Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe). Rachel's father Paul (Bill Irwin) and his wife her step-mother Carol (Anna Deavere Smith) supervise preparations. Giant poodle Olive wanders round the house and garden being affectionate. Sidney's mother (Carol-Jean Lewis), father (John Anthony), sister (Kyrah Julian), grand-mother (Herreast Harrison) and soldier-cousin Specialist Jo Gonzales (Gonzales Joseph) are staying in the house, along with battalions of musicians and other family. Rachel's mother Abby (Debra Winger) and her husband, Rachel's stepfather Andrew (Jerome LePage), come for supper. Abby has diplomatically chosen not to become too involved in wedding preparations. Maid of honour Emma (Anisa George) has designed Rachel's dress. Sidney's best friend Kieran (Mather Zickel) is best man. Rachel's sister Kym (Anne Hathaway) is a drug addict who killed their brother Ethan when he was a small child and she was 16. His bedroom is kept untouched in the house. Hospital social worker Rosa (Roslyn Ruff) releases Kym after her latest 9 months of treatment. Rachel is pregnant.

The film starts with Kym being discharged from hospital. Addict Walter (Sebastian Stan) bullies Kym about not driving a car. She killed little Ethan by driving the car off a bridge into a lake and not being able to release him from his child-seat. Sebastian Stan's hyper-method-acting delivery of Walter sets the tone for the film - and that's in the first few minutes. No emotional reaction in what follows (coming on for two hours) is understated.

There's a Narcotics Anonymous / Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at which various speakers - the receptionist (Quincy Tyler Bernstine) who accepts Kym's urine sample, a pastor (Pastor Melvin Jones), the group leader (Darrell Larson), reader (Michele Federer), a first-timer (Matthew Stadelmann), and a regular attender (Molly Hickok) - convincingly evoke a 12-step meeting, ending with a communal recital of the Serenity Prayer. There's a long pre-wedding dinner for all the family members on both sides, at which many speeches are made. Kym spoils it by making a long me-centred speech of apologising to Rachel for her past wrongs, as one of her 12 remedial steps. There's the wedding itself, complete with mawkish vows and an embarrassing, long, unaccompanied song to the bride from Sidney. There's a lengthy wedding-feast and dancing, with live bands of varying style and quality. Olive the poodle wears a large gold heart, and everyone's costumes (by Susan Lyall) are gorgeous. All the design, art and appearance are superb - from production designer Ford Wheeler, art director Kim Jennings, set decorator Chryss Hionis and others.

There's a couple of stand-out scenes. The one most likely to delight is when mother Abby whacks her whining daughter Kym so hard in the face that she blacks her eye. That's one on behalf of the audience - if only it had been an assisted suicide, and at the start of the film - and not a moment too soon. A pivot happens when Rachel and Kym are having their hair styled in a salon. A creepy stylist (Andre Blake) kneels with his face near Kym's. He relates how in hospital (he's a fellow ex-inmate) Kym wrote that she and Rachel had been sexually abused as children by their uncle, causing Rachel to become anorexic. Rachel hears and storms out - not because it happened, but because it didn't: she wasn't anorexic, they didn't have an uncle, they weren't abused. It's another of Kym's lies.

The format of the intimate confrontations becomes predictable as the film progresses: the main characters - the two sisters, parents, partners - have scenes with each other. Nothing new or original comes out of these, and that's true of the film as whole. Director Jonathan Demme assembles a large crowd of characters, and works them into well-orchestrated ensemble pieces - the pre-wedding supper; wedding; after-party - and the one-to-ones and larger groupings, to tell writer Jenny Lumet's fairly simple story. Director of photography Declan Quinn delivers it lushly - the camera feels unobtrusive, which is a great achievement in his intricate filming over a mixture of confined spaces and elaborate garden and open-tent sequences. Editor Tim Squyres produces a sharply cut and sequenced story. The original music by Zafer Tawil and Donald Harrison Jr, plus a lot of played and sung work by on-screen musicians is a substantial feature of the film.

CAST (in order of appearance, from producer's notes): Sebastian Stan - Walter. Roslyn Ruff - Rosa. Anne Hathaway - Kym. Bill Irwin - Paul. Anna Deavere Smith - Carol. Annaleigh Ashford - Quick Stop Cashier. Zafer Tawil - Violin Friend. Beau Sia - Wedding Czar. Innbo Shim - Wedding Planner. Eliza Simpson - Wedding PA. Olive - The Poodle. Rosemarie DeWitt - Rachel. Anisa George - Emma. Tamyra Gray - Singing Friend. Victoria Haynes - Bridesmaid. Quincy Tyler Bernstine - 12-Step Receptionist. Mather Zickel - Kieran. Pastor Melvin Jones - 12-Step Speaker. Darrell Larson - 12-Step Group Leader. Michele Federer - 12-Step Reader. Matthew Stadelmann - 12-Step First-Timer. Molly Hickok - 12-Step Veteran. 12-STEP MEETING ACTORS - Big Jim Wheeler, Josh Broder, Stephen Richardson, Bruce Bennetts, Paul Sparks, Caroline Goodman-Thomases, Daniel Wolff, Jill Dalton, Joe Alessi, Jordan Cael, Tiffany Little Canfield. Tunde Adebimpe - Sidney. Barry Eastmond, Jr - Wedding Drummer. Brooklyn Demme - Wedding Guitarist. Carol-Jean Lewis - Sidney's Mother. John Anthony - Sidney's Father. Kyrah Julian - Sidney's Sister. Herreast Harrison - Sidney's Grandmother. Gonzales Joseph - Cousin Joe. Donald Harrison, Jr. Fab Five Freddy. James Roche. Jimmy Joe Roche. Rev Robert Castle. Paul Lazar. Amir ElSaffar. Dorian Missick. Tareq Abboushi. Tavish Graham. Dimitrios Mikelis. Gaida Hinnawi. Alix Derrick. Matt Rabinowitz. Stephanie McBride. Richard Maxwell. Debra Winger - Abby. Jerome LePage - Andrew. Andre Blake - Inspired Stylist. Dequina Moore - Rachel's Stylist. Joe Toutebon - Police Officer. Edie Hofstatter - 1st Paramedic. Jaime Garcia - Other Paramedic. Julio 'Goya' Pagan - Tow-Truck Operator. Van Hughes - Wedding Valet. Sister Carol East. Robyn Hitchcock. Christian Scott. Roger Corman. Brian Nelson. David Neumann. Edisa Weeks. Heather Christian. Jennie Liu. Johnny Farraj. Josh Elrod. Maria Dizzia. Marie Runyon. Ray Ultarte. Tymberly Canale. Anita Sarko. Joey Perillo. Christy Pusz. Josephine Demme. Daphne Rubin-Vega. Joyce George - Wedding Photographer. Stephany Boa - Guest Electric Guitarist. Derrick Williams - Dancemaster. Sebastian Stan - Bow-tie Party Guest. Elizabeth Hayes - Susanna Galeano. Marin Ireland - 'Angela Paylin'. Cyro Baptista. BEAT THE DONKEY - Zé Maurício, Lisette Santiago, Michelle Clay, Marcus Santos, Silvana Marquina, Eldio 'Cabello' Rolim, Atlanta Foresyth. THE LADIES IN RED - Tonia-Cara Forsters, Kate Rossi, Susan Helen Van Der Griend, Juliet Teakle. Cast credits source – producer's notes at LFF screening 3 October 08

COMPANY: Director - Jonathan Demme. Writer - Jenny Lumet. Producers - Neda Armian, Marc E Platt. Executive Producers - Ilona Herzberg, Carol Cuddy. Co-Producer - HH Cooper. Associate Producers - Elizabeth Hayes, Innbo Shim, Emily Woodburne. Director of Photography - Declan Quinn ASC. Production Designer - Ford Wheeler. Editor - Tim Squyres ACE. Original Music by - Zafer Tawil, Donald Harrison Jr. Costumes by - Susan Lyall. Casting by - Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey CSA. Music Designed & Edited by - Suzana Peric. Production Sound Mixer - Jeff Pullman CAS. Art Director - Kim Jennings. Set Decorator - Chryss Hionis. Frank Barbosa - Key Hair Stylist. Alan D'Angerio - Head Hair Stylist (as Alan Dangerio). Sunday Englis - Special Makeup Effects Artist. Louise McCarthy - Key Makeup Artist. Evelyne Noraz - Makeup Artist (Anne Hathaway). Evelyne Noraz - Makeup Department Head. James Sarzotti - Makeup Artist. Susan Schectar - Hair Stylist. Carol Cuddy - Unit Production Manager. Mark Kamine - Production Supervisor. Kendall McCarthy - Post-Production Supervisor. HH Cooper - First Assistant Director. Nate Grubb - Second Second Assistant Director. Jennifer Truelove - Second Assistant Director. Pastor Alvarado III - Assistant Property master. Shannon Canfield - Set Dresser. John J Ciccimarro - Key Carpenter. Amiee Clark - Art Department Coordinator. Ray Fisher - Leadman. Michael D Harrell - Property Master. Mario Herrera - Charge Scenic Artist. Michael Kall - Carpenter Foreman. Luke Malloy - Greensman Foreman. Marcus Migliore - Set Dresser. Richard Vilas Montesanto - Scenic Artist. Richard Moran - Construction Grip. Pierre Rovira - Construction Coordinator. Michael Sabo - Property Master. Theo Sena - Props. Krystal Webb - Art Production Assistant. Marko A Costanzo - Foley Artist. George A. Lara - Foley Mixer. Blake Leyh - Sound Designer. Teferra McKenzie - Sound Utility. Igor Nikolic - Dialogue Editor. David Pastecchi - Boom Operator. Roger Phenix - Sound. Jeff Pullman - Sound Mixer. Steve FB Smith - Consultant, Dolby Sound. Paul Urmson - Supervising Sound Editor and Re-recording Mixer. Steven Visscher - Supervising Foley Editor. Tony Volante - Re-recording Mixer. Daniel Abramovich - Digital Compositor. Glenn Allen - Visual Effects Producer, Brainstorm Digital. Peter Amante - Visual Effects Artist. Richard Friedlander - Visual Effects Producer, Brainstorm Digital. Andrew Pungprakearti - Digital Effects Artist. Eric J Robertson - Visual Effects Supervisor. Michael Turoff - Visual Effects. Chris 'Pinkus' Wesselman - Digital Compositor, Brainstorm Digital. Jun Zhang - Digital Compositor. Jeffrey Lee Gibson - Stunt Coordinator. Michael W Brennan - Best Boy Electric. Kevin L. Bright - Grip. Rashad Clinton - Rigging Grip. Kathleen Corgan - First Assistant Camera. Adam Hall - Company Grip. Bob Izzo - Best Boy Grip. David Knox - Additional Camera Operator. Abby Levine - Digital Imaging Technician. Charles Libin - Additional Camera Operator. John McAleer - Additional First Assistant Camera. Joseph Metzger - Second Assistant Camera. Gerard Sava - Camera Operator. Robert Sciretta - Gaffer. Chris Silano - First Assistant Camera. Kevin Smyth - Key Grip. Eve Strickman - Camera Utility. Hunter Whalen - Camera Production Assistant. Phillip Wright - Additional Camera Operator. Renee Godbout - Extras Casting Associate. Stephanie Biear - Head Seamstress. Jessica De La Cruz - Costume Production Assistant. Barbara Hause - Wardrobe Supervisor. Amy Ritchings - Assistant Costume Designer. Maura Trail - Costume Production Assistant. Mike Fay - First Assistant Editor. Scot Olive - Colourist. Giles Andrew - Additional Production Assistant. James Bednark - Production Assistant. Harper Dill - Assistant, Mr Demme. Adrienne Dine - Production Assistant. Logan Wolfe Edler - Set Production Assistant. Massoumeh Emami - Script Supervisor. Betty Escobar - Production Accounting Clerk. Jacob Felix - Production Liaison. Samantha Feltus - Production Secretary. Dann Fink - ADR Loop Group Director. Katie Kramer - Production Assistant. Eric LaFranchi - Set Production Assistant. Lauren Lillie - Assistant: Mr. Demme. Rebecca Lindsey - Additional Production Assistant: First Team. Liz Magee - Production Assistant. Clement McIntosh - Production Assistant. Melissa A Messick - Set Production Assistant. Holly Pilch - Assistant Production Office Coordinator. Kerry Roberts - Payroll Accountant. Kevin Rosenberg - Assistant, Mr Platt. William Sepulveda - Key Craft Service. Eugene Stamos - Craft Service: Chef. Eva Vedock - Key Craft Service. Daniel Wagner - Production Office Coordinator. Thomas J Whelan - Location Manager. Production Companies - Clinica Estetico, Marc Platt Productions. Distributors - Sony Pictures Classics (USA theatrical), Sony Pictures Releasing (Netherlands theatrical). Special Effects - Brainstorm Digital. Soundtrack - Lakeshore Records. Also Known As - Dancing with Shiva (USA working title). Runtime - Canada, 114 min (Toronto International Film Festival); USA, 113 min. Country - USA. Language - English. Colour - Colour. Aspect Ratio - 1:85. Sound Mix - Dolby Digital, SDDS, DTS. Filming Locations - Fairfield, Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Company - Clinica Estetico. Camera - Sony HDW-F900R. Film Negative Format - HDCAM. Cinematographic Process - HDTV. Printed Film Format - 35 mm. Company credits source – producer's notes at LFF screening 3 October 08; and www.imdb.com (www.imdb.com/title/tt1084950/) at 3 October 08.

END

John Park

reviewed Friday 3 October 08 / press screening / NFT1, National Film Theatre, London

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