To Not 'Get' 'Four Weddings and A Funeral'?

I am one of the very few people who hated this schmaltzy romcom. There was so much hype. Omg you have to see this great film by a lot of my friends After 10 mins all the F**k words and I am not a prude but this was designed to shock and I found this so contrived. The film was so shallow and I could go on and on. Also I hated the Wet Wet Wet songs. I can't stand Hugh Grant. He plays himself and is a lousy actor. Folks are just besotted with his upper class.foppish English mannerisms and good looks. Nah not me I don't fall for that. Since then I have seen other Richard Curtis films like Nottinghill and lLove Actually. Also all Working Title films. I find them unwatchable and really can't see why they are Sooo popular. I must be different because they are hugely successful. No not my bag at all. I am obviously missing something and in the minority but I am sure there are more folks like me who can see through this tripe!!

Spike is easily the best thing in NH by a country mile. Again, eminently quotable. "Combination of factors rrrrrreally," is a frequent saying in our house

No, I agree with HardCheese about the shameful waste of a fine cast. (There was also Emma Chambers, Alice from Vicar of Dibley - completely wasted)

I thought it was a country like Croatia or Serbia where Colin Firth's girlfriend lived! I wonder why I thought that?

HATE HATE HATE HG in LA. What a stupid, unbelieveable character and that fucking trademark fingers-through-the hair gesture. GRRRRRRR!

If I have to like any of the three, I think Notting Hill is the best. The friends are brilliant - especially Rhys Ifans. Although now you've reminded me, the table of girlfriends in FW was hilarious.

Well I think you are a bit unreasonable for not liking Andie M's character because she's 'loose'

I actually liked the fact that the romantic lead was not some prim, virginal girl. How many other films have that?

But yes she is a terrible, terrible actress, so YANBU on that score

Of course it's terrible now. But it was brilliant then.

I think FWAAF actually stands up pretty well - I think it makes a lot of sly, observant points about a certain kind of Englishness, class and weddings, and a lot of the acting (with the honorable exception of Andie McDowell, obviously) is excellent, especially in some of the smaller parts (Bernard and Lydia, Charlotte Coleman, Anna Chancellor as Duckface - also, has anyone else noticed that Ruth from Spooks is the female folk singer singing 'Can't Smile Without You' at the first wedding?) And I do find some bits properly comical, as when Hugh Grant's character is put at the same table as all his old girlfriends (a a fate he richly deserved...)

(Admittedly, I'm sick of pointing out to my students that 'Funeral Blues' was actually written by Auden as a satirical poem about the death of a dictator, not a sincere love poem to a dead partner!)

Notting Hill, now - there's a real stinker, despite having an excellent supporting cast. Why cast the wondrous Gina McKee, Hugh Bonneville, Tim McInnerny and Richard McCabe and then do shag all with them while Hugh Grant shoves his hair off his forehead and Julia Roberts is nearly as charmless as the divine Andie? Grr.

The best part of Love Actually was when Colin Firth's papers blow into the lake and his housekeeper jumps in to get them. That and Hugh Grant's dance to 'Jump' :)
Didn't really like Julia Roberts in Notting Hill. Thought her character was quite mean.

I've never seen all of Notting Hill at a sitting... not entirely sure I have LA or FW either. They're nice for dipping into for a random half hour late at night.

Not seen 'Love Actually', but thought 'Notting Hill' was quite poor.

I loved it the first time I saw it and I still love the W.H. Auden poem (Stop all the clocks....) but last time it was on, and I was looking forward to it, I just found it incredibly annoying.

I do like Love Actually though and many other similar things!

Emma Thompson crying in the bedroom is really sad such good acting!

Oscar, not Iscar

I agree; Emma Thompson should have got an Iscar for the scene in he bedroom when she tries to hold ittogether, straightens the uvet civer and then gies back ti her famiky, fantastic scene.

But i hated tge Colin Firth storyline, it was the weakest for me. I am married to a "foreigner" but we both speak each other's language...the idea if falling in live with someone without any means of verbal communucation is silly to me.

I think the best scene in LA is the one where Emaa Thompson retreats into the bedroom, wipes away a few tears, and then carries on 'enjoying' Christmas with her family.
I love the dignity of it, and it is far sadder to see someone break but carry on than to see them collapse (IYSWIM). And it is just emphasised in the bit at the end of the play where she hisses to him that he's made a fool of her - brilliantly done.

Watched LA at christmas again, my favourite bit is when Colin Firth dashes over to Portugal to declare his love for Aurelia.
He dashes over to France, if I am not mistaken, where she is an immigrant.

But is is a great scene. :-)

I think possibly people are over thinking it. It's a funny, entertaining film with some classic one liners.

"Let's push on through til dawn" is another of my favourites :)

I also love FW because the 2nd wedding is partly set where OH and I got married.

Adore FW and LA both have me sobbing for much of the film.

Watched LA at christmas again, my favourite bit is when Colin Firth dashes over to Portugal to declare his love for Aurelia.

Also love the bit where Keira Knightly is watching the wedding video and realises Andrew Lincoln is in love with her.

I agree that AM's character in FW is v annoying but she doesn't ruin the film for me as everything else about it is done so well (I especially love the music in both films).

"Yes it is fucking raining, you simpering cow"

Brilliant!

I do agree about the beginning. My mother was lent the DVD shortly after she had been diagnosed with what proved to be a terminal illness, but stopped watching almost at once because of the language. She would, I know, have hugely enjoyed the film as it would have appealed to her sense of humour, so it was a real shame. (She might have been OK with a milder word like "shit", but "fuck" was still beyond the pale for someone of her age and background.)

There really wasn't any need for the f words, and there must have been thousands like my mum who missed out, thinking it was going to be something it wasn't.

No YANBU. I hate it too. Was put off by all the f words at the beginning. Not a prude but just felt it was very unneccessary.

just films of their time. They just touched a certain point with people at the time.

I always forget Simon Callow is actually still alive, so engrained on my brain is that funeral scene.

I didn't see FWAAF until about 15 years after it came out so it did seem rather dated by the time I saw it. But I could kind of see why it did so well at the time and some of the humour doesn't date.

Funny to think that at the time the film was made, Andie McDowell was the big Hollywood star and Hugh Grant a complete unknown.