Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1105 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-11-29
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
When it was released in 1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral quickly became a huge international success, pulling in the kind of audiences most British films only dream of. It's proof that sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. In terms of plot, the title pretty much says it all. Revolving around… well, four weddings and a funeral (though not in that order), the film follows Hugh Grant's confirmed bachelor Charles as he falls for visiting American Carrie (Andy McDowell), whom he keeps bumping into at various functions.

But with this most basic of premises, screenwriter Richard Curtis has crafted a moving and thoughtful comedy about the perils of singledom and that ever-elusive search for true love. In the wrong hands, it could have been a horribly schmaltzy affair, but Curtis' script--crammed with great one-liners and beautifully judged characterisations--keeps things sharp and snappy, harking back to the sparkling Hollywood romantic comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. The supporting cast, including Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow and Rowan Atkinson (who starred in the Curtis-scripted television show Blackadder) is first rate, at times almost too good--John Hannah's rendition of WH Auden's poem "Funeral Blues" over the coffin of his lover is so moving you think the film will struggle to re-establish its ineffably buoyant mood. But it does, thanks in no small part to Hugh Grant as the bumbling Charles (whose star-making performance compensates for a less-than-dazzling Andie MacDowell). Though it's hardly the fault of Curtis and his team, the success of the Four Weddings did have its downside, triggering a rash of inferior British romantic comedies. In fact, we had to wait until 1999's Notting Hill for another UK film to match its winning charm (scripted, again, by Curtis and also starring Grant). --Edward Lawrenson

Synopsis
Charles (Hugh Grant) is a confirmed British bachelor with a colourful romantic background who meets the perfect woman, Carrie (Andie MacDowell), at a friend's wedding. However, Charles's hopes of romance are dashed when Carrie announces she must return to America the next morning. The two continue to cross paths at other people's weddings, never finding each other at a time when both are single. As all of Charles's friends find love, he's left wondering if he will ever be the one going to the altar. With subtle and lighthearted storytelling, director Mike Newell makes viewers feel intimate with characters who are shown in their happiest and saddest moments. The talented, funny cast--including Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, and Rowan Atkinson--portrays a very convincing group of friends in search of true love.

Customer Reviews

Buy this over the vanilla release...
If you're wanting to buy 4 Weddings on DVD, my advice is buy this one. The picture has been remastered to a level which I didn't think was possible when viewing the old release - extremely impressive. Also the sound has been remastered in 5.1, which although doesn't exploit the rear speakers a lot is a DEFINITE improvement over the vanilla.

The extras, too, are impressive. You get an interesting group commentary by director Newell, Producer Kenworthy and writer Curtis. Also included are; 2 documentaries, TV promotions, good deleted scenes etc. There's also the short featurette which appeared on the original DVD - so you're not missing out by upgrading.

Because DVDs can be bought so cheaply nowadays, my advice is to spend the extra pound or two and buy this - it's worth a thousand more than the old release.

British Comedy breaks into Hollywood
Very funny film with some superb lines. Hugh Grant can be very amusing, and there was a great cameo from Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling, nervous trainee priest who keeps fluffing his lines during one of the weddings. ("Awful wedded wife", or "Holy Goat" for "Holy Ghost"). I also liked David Bower as Charles's deaf brother David, the late Charlotte Coleman as his impudent younger sister Scarlett and Anna Chancellor as his ex-girlfriend Henrietta (also known as Duckface), whose embarrassing emotional incontinence perhaps explains why Charles is so keen to distance himself from his feelings. I was less impressed by Simon Callow as Gareth, loud, extrovert and excessively hearty (like most characters Callow plays).

To sum up, this was a very good film indeed; proof that the British cinema can produce romantic comedies as good as Hollywood at its best.

A classic in every way
To the top notch cast, the humour, the wit the shear class that this film still has, it works on simplicity & is one to watch time and again. For the jokes just keep coming.

Both Hugh Grant & John Hannah gave two of there best performances to date & the chemistry and friendship between all the characters was so endearing.

Well done to all and this is one of the best British films ever and deserves to be!!1