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Four Weddings and a Funeral (Deluxe Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Mike Newell
Actors: Hugh Grant, James Fleet, Simon Callow, John Hannah, Kristin Scott Thomas
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $3.95
You Save: $11.03 (74%)
New (44) Used (20) from $3.95
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 940
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 118
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D13367D
UPC: 027616133670
EAN: 0027616133670
ASIN: B000CCBCAS
Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 1994
Release Date: January 31, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Factory Sealed, Thousands of Titles Listed, Fast Processing
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Amazon.com
A surprise hit and one of the highest grossing films ever to come out of Great Britain, this effortlessly enchanting romantic comedy finds confirmed bachelor Hugh Grant (Nine Months) attending weddings with his single friends as they all lament not being able to commit. Grant keeps running into an attractive American (Andie MacDowell) at these festivities and begins a long-running affair with her, even as he attends her own wedding, the funeral of one of his best friends, and his own pending nuptials. Featuring a spirited supporting cast including Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient) as the acerbic friend quietly in love with Grant, this touching and funny film with a mischievous sense of humor and some truly heartbreaking moments is destined to become one of the classic romantic comedies of all time. --Robert Lane
Description
The champagne is flowingand so is the funin this "delightful and sly" (Roger Ebert) romantic comedy about two people who belong together but just can't seem to tie the knot. Ushering in two Academy AwardÂ(r) nominations*, and starring Hugh Grant (Notting Hill), Andie MacDowell (Michael) and a superb ensemble cast that includes OscarÂ(r) nominee** Kristin Scott Thomas, Four Weddings and a Funeral is truly "a very special occasion" (Rolling Stone)! Charlie (Grant) is always the best man but never the groom. Determined to avoid even a hint of commitment, this handsome English gentleman is notoriously late to every wedding. But today he's in for a real surprise because not only did he forget the ring...but he also just caught a glimpse of the girl of his dreams (MacDowell)! "Elegant, festive and very, very funny" (The New York Times), Four Weddings and a Funeral is engaging entertainment from beginning to end. *1994: Best Picture, Original Screenplay **1996: Actress, The English Patient
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Deluxe Edition of a Well-Loved Movie Worth Having March 18, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Four Weddings and a Funeral," (1994) a British romantic comedy/drama, caused something of a sensation upon its release. It broke all records for worldwide box-office take by a British picture: and not very many British pictures since have done as well. It was received rapturously by many important critics, and was nominated for a "Best Picture" Academy Award. It boosted the careers of its director, Mike Newell, and most of its talented cast members. It also made its star, Hugh Grant, flavor of the decade - and counting -- as leading man of any English-speaking romantic comedy. It put its author, Richard Curtis, at the head of what has since become an English cottage industry, the creation of romantic Brit-coms (see "Notting Hill,""Love Actually,"etc.) Yet, when it was made, the budget was so tight that those glorious Scottish wedding scenes were all filmed in Hampshire, a Home County near London. And the numerous wedding scene extras were required to wear their own evening dress.
Most everyone knows the plot, but here goes. Charles (Grant) is one of a group of young friends looking unsuccessfully, it seems, for love. Charles is commitment-phobic; yet he, his roommate, Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman), and the crowd seem to spend every Saturday going, late, to weddings, where they are frequently members of the wedding parties. Disastrous best man speeches are made, rings are forgotten. Then Charles spots the beautiful American Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at a wedding, and much yearning ensues. Carrie announces her engagement to, and marries, a rich, older Scot, Hamish (Corin Redgrave). But, of course, true love triumphs and triumphs and triumphs. There are viewers that consider MacDowell's performance too passive, but everyone agrees Grant created the perfect romantic English lead, shy, stuttering, hair in his eyes. Coleman, who unfortunately died much too young, in an asthma attack, made Scarlett touching and real. Redgrave, well, of course.
The supporting cast was also uniformly excellent, and funny. Rowan Atkinson is hilarious in a small part as Father Gerald, priest in training. James Fleet does good work as Tom, the crowd's millionaire. Kristin Scott Thomas is beautiful, beautifully-dressed, witty, touching and intelligent as Tom's sister Fiona, who's unfortunate enough to love Charles. Theater stalwart Simon Callow shines as the gay Gareth; and, as for John Hannah, playing his lover Matthew; well, it's all been said, hasn't it. Though I'd add that I never yet have re watched this movie -- did so again last night--without being reduced to tears by his reading of WH Auden's "Funeral Blues" poem at Gareth's untimely funeral.
If you love the movie, the Deluxe Edition is useful. Its extras are very helpful: Audio Commentary with filmmakers, "Wedding Planners" Documentary, "Two Actors and a Director" featurette, and the featurette on the making of the film. The deleted scenes are uniformly funny, too, and give us a bit more back-story of the characters, which the movie doesn't give us a lot of.
LOVE this story! March 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Guess what hooked me onto this movie more than 10 years after it came out? Elton John's version of But Not For Me. I saw it on TV, bought the CD and followed it up with the DVD. Loaded the cd onto the ipod...heaven! A belated thank you to all the actors and artists that put this gem together. Sir Elton, how about a standards album, including But Not For Me? I predict a smash hit...
Patsy B
Great British Comedy September 14, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Four Weddings and a Funeral follows Charles (Hugh Grant) and friends through a period of time in which they attend, um, four weddings and one funeral. Most of the movie actually occurs at these ceremonies so the film is aptly named all around. Charles meets Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at wedding number one and a good portion of the movie revolves around whether these two will end up together or not. There are various subplots involving four of his friends as well as his brother, most of them involving romance of some sort.
This is the movie that made Hugh Grant a star and it's easy to see why. He plays his stuttering nice guy to perfection and is helped by a script that any actor would gladly kill for. Andie MacDowell plays a terrific counterbalance with her mellow charm. The entire cast of largely unknown (in the U.S. at least) British actors does a fantastic job of infusing the film with warmth and life. Another plus is that this is the rare movie where the cast looks like real people instead of supermodels. It helps ground the film and make the characters seem more real.
This deluxe edition DVD is a nice presentation. The picture has been cleaned up and converted to anamorphic format, the sound is crisp and there are some nice "making of" documentaries. Finally, there is a commentary track for those interested in that sort of thing. All in all, it's a nice package and worth a few extra dollars to get.
In summary, Four Weddings is a great movie. The humor is quirky, though, and probably not for everyone. For anyone willing to take a chance on something different, however, this is a true keeper. It was an instant classic when it was released and remains one to this day.
This Gem Is The Most Affable Of The Nineties Romantic Brit-Coms February 18, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
No doubt others on Amazon have ably told you what this Best Picture-nominated movie is about, so let me only pause to add that my favorite part of this style-heavy mid-90's Brit-com (the one that made Hugh Grant and his boyishly handsome "Oh, shucks" grin a star) is when Carrie, Andie MacDowell's American-born character, "confronts" Hugh Grants' self-effacing Charles, with how extensive and well-remembered the rank and file of her sexual body count happens to be. The infatuated if commitment-phobic Charles stands in wide-eyed shock, even as he tries to handle what he is hearing with good-natured cheer, but just watching Charles as he forces his mouth not to fall open makes for an endearingly hilarious moment. (Hey, guys, if you didn't wanna know, why'd you ask? Right, girls?) There's also a show-stealing bit wherein Rowan Atkinson, Mr. Bean, himself, plays a nervously virginal vicar fumblingly presiding at one of the promised "four weddings" of the film. Really there are too many excellent performances here among British veterans of stage and screen---Simon Callow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Mike Newell, everyone it sometimes seems except a conspicuously absent Helena Bonham Carter---for this to be anything but a delight to own and watch again and again. Sure, many out there might dismiss Four Weddings and a Funeral as a "mere" chick flick, but I like it, and it's one of the more endearing movies to come out of Britain in many moons.
The Original Romantic Brit-Comedy! May 3, 2006
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
The 1994 movie, "Four Weddings and a Funeral", was an international box office hit and the pioneer in the film genre known as the 'Romantic Brit-Com'. This is a genre of usually small budget, comedic films, that are about the romantic lives of good looking, young Brits (usually with a close group of witty, quirky, supportive friends), who must overcome self-doubt and bad timing to make true love happen. A good number of these films star British actor, Hugh Grant and have been written (and sometimes directed) by Richard Curtis ("Notting Hill" "Love Actually," "Bridget Jones"). Curtis has been so involved in this genre, that he's basically been annoited "King of the Romantic Brit-Coms". "Four Weddings" was pretty much the first of these films. This movie mostly takes place at public events, which are of course the "Four Weddings and a Funeral" in the title. In the film we meet Charles (Hugh Grant) and his close knit group of quirky, witty, supportive friends. We never find out what they do for a living, what their backgrounds are and only get hints of how they know each other. It's as though we are guests at a wedding meeting these people for the first time. What we do find out is that Charles seems to be a perennial wedding guest/Best-Man. He has great doubts about his troubled romantic life and wonders if he is ever destined to meet, that one special person, who he might actually marry. He also always seems to be putting his foot in his mouth and getting into embarassing comic situations (I love the scene, where he gets stuck at a table filled with all his ex-girlfriends!) At the first wedding he meets a glamorous American named, Carrie (played by a luminous, Andie MacDowell). They meet, flirt, even wind up in bed with each other over the course of the different public occasions. But of course because of self-doubt and bad timing, these characters can never really seem to get it together and declare their true love for each other. It's not hard to figure out how this all ends, but the long and winding road over the course of the four weddings and a funeral are quite funny, sad and interesting for all. This is due to the very funny and poignant script from Richard Curtis and sure direction from Mike Newell. The cast is top notch. Hugh Grant has a star making performance in the lead role. Other standout performances include actors Simon Callow as the gregarious, full of life, Gareth and John Hannah as Matthew, who just stops the film with an emotion filled eulogy. Kristin Scott Thomas is also very good as Charles' friend Fiona, who secretly pines for him. Finally, mention should be of British Comedian, Rowan Atkinson's short, but drop dead hilarious turn, as a very nervous, new Vicar, who can't seem to get the wedding vows right! ("Do you take Lydia Jane Hibbert to be your Awful wedded wife!") Originally, this film was released in a pretty primitive bare bones release. It has now been released in a newly minted, 'Deluxe Edition'. The picture is cleaned up and presented in widescreen. I thought the sound in this edition left a lot to be desired. The extras are wonderful. They include a full length commentary track from the filmmakers and a number of short documentaries and featurettes on the making of the film, that prove to be very interesting. But best of all are the deleted scenes (with commentaries), that flesh out the backgrounds of the characters a little more. This film is a wonderful romantic comedy, that leaves you wanting more. Great film! Highly recommended!
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