Muriel's Wedding
© Jennifer A. Wickes
by Jennifer A. Wickes
copyright 2003
Muriel Heslop lives in Porpoise Spit, Australia, with her parents, two brothers and two sisters. She has four friends, or so she believes, who are pretty and popular. Eventually, they tell her that she is not good enough for them. Muriel retreats to her room with her Abba cassettes, dreams of getting married, and eventually plots revenge!
She manages to finagle money from her parents and takes a trip to Hibiscus Island where her four former friends are vacationing. There, she runs into an old friend from high school, Rhonda.
It is here that her life changes. She tells Rhonda that she is engaged to Tim Simms, a fictional man, just so Rhonda will think she is a success.
Upon her return to Porpoise Spit, she finds that her family has found out that she stole money from them for the vacation, and she skips town and heads for Sydney to be with Rhonda. There, she changes her name to Mariel, to represent her new life.
But life in Sydney has its own ups and downs. And Mariel is now dreaming of her wedding day again, as she equates getting married with being happy.
This movie is a great light-hearted comedy with a few dark moments. One really begins to feel for the characters and hopes that they figure out their challenges.
I recommend this movie to anyone who would like to see a serious, yet funny movie about learning who you are and how to get there.
Muriel's Wedding
Director: P.J. Hogan
Starring: Toni Colette, Rachel Griffiths
Country: Australia
Year: 1994
Rating: ****/*****
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