Film Review: ‘The People We Hate At The Wedding Offers Banal Family Drama
© Courtesy of Reporter + Atlanta Intown Newspapers Ben Platt looks at Kristen Bell holding a glass of wine in a photo.The holidays have a special kind of comedy about how our families drive us crazy. "Family Stone," "This Christmas" or, more recently, "The Happiest Season" explore the complex dynamics of family and relationships that we can all relate to more or less. These films may have their problems, but they all touch on some level of what makes family dynamics so volatile and compelling to watch: a large family gathers for a vacation or event, old wounds are opened, and misunderstandings arise. catharsis is revealed.
Claire Scanlon's new film, People We Hate in Marriage, seeks to touch on these family complexities, but it never goes below the surface or hits the notes of sardonic humor that weaves through dull sentimentality. The film is a strange mix of tones and never quite finds the right level for its grit and gravitas, or comes to a logical conclusion with the right emotional through-line or arc.
The film follows two siblings, Alice (Kristen Bell) and Paul (Ben Platt), who are struggling to make ends meet in their personal, professional and romantic lives. When they are invited to attend the wedding of their wealthy half-sister Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) in England, they reluctantly decide to accompany their mother Donna (Allison Janey) on the trip. Once on the other side of the pond, jealousy and insecurity appear due to the bad union.
There are many archetypes in any family drama: the good mom, the type A sister, the messy little brother type, etc. While there are times when these archetypes may seem formulaic on the page, a good actor can find the heart of a character and build from there, providing a specificity that the audience can relate to. While Bell, Platt, Addai-Robinson and Janey are talented performers, even they can't save The People We Hate in Marriage from the dark characters at its core . The archetypes we expect from this kind of family drama aren't stereotypes, they're basically non-existent: vague to the point of confusion and incredibly banal in their banality.
Part of Alice and Paul's hatred of Eloise stems from perceived real betrayals, but more stems from their insecurities about Eloise's fortune. From Eloise's perspective, she never felt like a true member of the family: Eloise lived with her in London when Donna returned to the United States after Donna was separated from her unfaithful father Henrique (Isaach de Bankolé). relationships are on the line here, and a better script would have given these artists more substance and underlying pain to work with. But when the two sides meet, neither interaction feels particularly interesting, or the family drama feels as quietly passive-aggressive as it could ultimately be.
On the contrary, we are subject to an infinite cruelty. No one but Eloise tries to control her emotions or save face. Alice gets more and more drunk, vomits in the bushes and constantly makes fun of herself. Paul speaks his mind, mocks his sister, and scolds his mother at every opportunity. For the most part, Alice and Paul are just villains, which doesn't say anything particularly profound about their personal issues or the conflict at play. Most of the other characters are no better. Even Eloise, the prettiest of the bunch, discovers a devastating truth about Paul in the middle of the rehearsal dinner, one she knows will hurt and drive him crazy. The friction that arises from this family union tirelessly builds resentment.
There was no need to waste this shit. People We Hate in Marriage has moments that could make for delicious dark comedy, but the film never lets these comedic scenes breathe, preferring to get serious. Whenever scenes offer a bit of bite — like Bell's bachelorette party in a Thames hot tub, where she makes sex jokes while wearing an American flag bikini — it devolves into a somber conversation about feelings moments later. does not exist. "It's not specific enough to evoke a real feeling in the audience. The moment is usually punctuated by lingering music as the characters discuss their problems with each other in slurred speech. And then it's back to brutality: soap, rinse, repeat.
Post-Movie Review: People We Hate in Marriage is a mainstream family drama that appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.
