Canada,
2001, 100 min
Shown in 2002
CREDITS
- dir
-
Bruce Sweeney
- prod
-
Stephen Hegyes
- scr
-
Bruce Sweeney
- cam
-
David Pelletier
- editor
-
Ross Weber
- mus
-
Don Macdonald
- cast
-
Benjamin Ratner, Frida Betrani, Tom Scholte, Nancy Sivak, Vincent Gale, Molly Parker
- source
-
Last Wedding Productions, 8021 Enterprise St., Burnaby BCV5A 1V5, Canada. FAX: 604-444-0066. EMAIL: shegyes@aol.com.
- premiere
-
U.S. Premiere
OTHER
When it comes to love, if it ain’t broke, it soon will be for three thirtysomething Vancouverites in Bruce Sweeney’s melancholy romantic comedy Last Wedding. Married literature professor Peter can’t stop thinking about a flirtatious student who writes erotic poetry. Architect Shane grapples with his increasing jealousy of his wife’s professional success. And middle manager Noah is about to marry a hotheaded country-rock singer he’s known for barely six months. Sweeney deftly navigates shifting tones in telling the story of his hapless heroes, proving himself equally adept with physical comedy and moments of poignancy. The scene where Noah finally hears his wife’s music is hilarious, as is her reaction when he sings one of her songs at the dinner table. Working with an exceptionally strong cast that includes Molly Parker (Center of the World, SFIFF 2001) as Shane’s wife, Sweeney uses a light yet confident touch, letting his actors shine and characters develop naturally. While focusing on the male characters’ romantic angst, Last Wedding features well-written and believable females as well, and Sweeney has a knack for conveying moments of both intimacy and marital discord. As Noah’s ill-conceived marriage affects his friends in unexpectedly profound ways, each character must come to terms with the meaning of love and commitment after this “last wedding.”
—Jennie Yabroff
FACTOID #85
In 1996, Harvey Keitel was the first recipient of the Peter J. Owens Award, honoring “brilliance, independence and honesty” in acting. Honest he was. During the clip show at his tribute Keitel, unhappy with one of the clips, began waving his arms and shouting until the screen went black. The screen lit up with a new clip and the tribute continued.
