The Wedding Singer Review
by Seth Bookey (sethbook AT panix DOT com)May 29th, 1998
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Seen on 23 May 1998 for $3 at the Cineplex Odeon Worldwide
Do you remember the first time you heard Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy"? Did you ever try to solve Rubik's cube? Did you ever have to explain to your mother that Boy George was not a girl, no matter how good his makeup and no matter how womanly his features were? Do you remember when guys with deliberate stubble and equally deliberate white blazers, thanks to Miami Vice? Do you have more than one album by A Flock of Seagulls? Do you remember when albums cost $4.99 on sale? Did anyone in your neighborhood drive a Gremlin and see a movie with the same title? "Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac" mean anything to you? Do you remember your... President Reagan?
If you answered yes to any of these questions (I answered yes to *all* of them), you will probably enjoy *The Wedding Singer*. Actually, all the 1980s nostalgia is a red herring, and underneath all the pastel and two-tone tuxedos and feathered haircuts is a rather endearing little love story. That Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are endearing is also a nice surprise. Plus, the movie is hilarious. Sandler is espcially surprising. It's good to see that he's a bit more than the obligatory movie actor SNL alumni are expected to become no matter how bad the movie scripts they're offered are.
Robbie Hart, who sings at weddings every weekend for $60, seems to enjoy his life despite his lack of income, and his basement apartment in his sister's house. It bothers his fiancee, who leaves him standing at the alter at his wedding. Robbie, who is tenderhearted and humorous and adds to the occasions where he sings, turns sullen. Luckily, the results are equally humorous, and either way, he gets the attention of Julia (Barrymore)--a waitress at the catering hall.
Unfortunately, Julia is engaged to a ratfink named Glenn Gulia (Mrs. Julia Gulia..., yikes), and Robbie is an honorable man. But this is a romantic comedy and we all know how it ends. The difference is how they get there. The nice thing about this movie is that the nostalgia is not completely overpowering the storyline. The movie's basic dialogue is pretty funny on its own, free of the 1980s trappings. That Carrie Fischer is one of the uncredited writers might have a lot to do with this. But, all that nostalgia is very amusing. References to Moonwalking, someone shooing J.R., and "time to make the donuts," don't hurt the movie either. The only thing that puzzles me is that it's a movie about the 1980s that sometimes looks a lot like the 1970s, which were being made fun of quite heartily by 1985.
The supporting characters are also amusing. Christine Taylor plays Julia's cousin, the Madonna wannabe; Alexis Arquette is the Boy George wannabe; Ellen Albertini Dow is particularly hilarious as the octogenarian singing student Robbie tutors for a fee of two meatballs a week. Jon Lovitz makes a funny appearance as a rival wedding singer; Steve Buscemi has a nice cameo bookending the movie. There's even a special guest star (Billy Idol!).
So, go and enjoy the Wedding Singer. You'll laugh, you'll almost cry, you'll wonder what happened to Spandau Ballet, LPs, and men named Marilyn.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1998, Seth J. Bookey, New York, NY 10021 [email protected]; http://www.panix.com/~sethbook
More movie reviews by Seth Bookey, with graphics, can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2679/kino.html
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