Marriage – n. The legal or religious ceremony that formalizes the decision of a man and a woman to live as husband and wife, including the accompanying social festivities.
It is this ceremony, the wedding, that becomes the focus of every engaged couple as they plan each detail of their special day. Popular culture has examined this life-altering event from a variety of angles, from the more lavish seen in TLC’s “A Wedding Story,” the competitive brides-to-be of WE’s “Bride vs. Bride” and advice of every sort in bridal magazines. Many go to great lengths to make sure their wedding is perfect and that nothing will ruin the occasion.
Fox Searchlight Pictures has taken up this thread with the premise that “Not everyone wants their special day ruined by a gimmick – but some people do.” Combining elements of reality wedding television with marriage focused magazines, “Confetti,” is a romantic comedy that follows three couples as they compete in the first annual “Most Original Wedding of the Year” contest.
The film opens with the selection of the couples for the competition sponsored by the wedding magazine “Confetti.” The personalities of each couple, along with their proposed themes of Hollywood musical, tennis and naturist – a.k.a. nudist – ensure that hilarity will follow as preparations are made for their weddings.
Filmed in the typical BBC style of “The Office” and the mockumentaries “Best In Show” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” the cinematography adds to the comedic value with a “Real World”-esque confessional setup.
Two of the most interesting characters are Gregory Hough (Jason Watkins) and Archie Heron (Vincent Franklin), the couple in charge of planning the “three ring circus of love.” Their eccentric personalities and endearing characteristics make them incredibly entertaining to watch as the nuptial chaos unfolds.
As they plan and prepare for the contest, they are forced to compromise each couple’s desires and those of the magazine. The overly-competitive tennis couple, the Hollywood musical bride’s controlling family, not to mention the naturists themselves, all present the wedding planners with a plethora of complications.
“Confetti” has it all – music, competition, disastrous plastic surgery, naked bicyclists – what more could you ask of modern cinema? Clocking in at just over 100 minutes, the film is never dull, although it does progress at a different pace than the typical American comedy.
While the dry, subtle British humor can be easily lost on an American audience, if you’re a fan of “The Office,” “Best In Show” – or full-frontal nudity – you are sure to enjoy the romantic “Brit-wit” that is “Confetti.”
