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» Features » Maguffin » Reviews
| REVIEW Glitter and Jitters Kathy Hofmeyr
For anyone who has ever had to deal with pre-wedding panic, the expense and the pretension of the wedding industry and the increasingly psychotic, hair-tearing screech-beast that is the average bride-to-be, 'Confetti' is a must-see. It follows the dramas of three couples vying for the title of Most Original Wedding, along with the wedding-planners whose task it is to help them realise their dreams. Although nominally penned by director Debbie Isitt, the film’s dialogue is improvised by a cast of impressive comic talent, with most of the actors veterans of cult British comedy, from 'Spaced' to 'Green Wing'. It's all done in the mockumentary style — think 'Best in Show' and 'A Mighty Wind' — although the humour and romance are more reminiscent of 'Strictly Ballroom'. The pseudo-realist style, along with the improvised dialogue, provides the almost-believable sense of fly-on-the-wall documentary. Isabelle and Josef, a tennis-mad couple, approach their wedding the way they approach everything in life — with the firm premise that winning is everything. Josef (modelled on the cantankerous John McEnroe) resolves his issues of jealousy and inadequacy by fighting the competition’s organisers on every issue. Michael and Joanna are passionate naturists who insist on having a nude wedding — despite the public nature of the competition and the protests of the sponsors. (Note for parents and conservative audiences: while the film does contain full-frontal nudity, it is of the most innocuous and asexual kind.) Then there’s the couple most people will want to root for — Sam and Matt, who want nothing more than a Busby Berkeley musical-style wedding. Neither of them can sing a note and they’ve four left feet between them, but doesn't deter the young couple in the slightest. Jessica Stevenson ('Shaun of the Dead') is the adorable, long-suffering Essex girl with the ghastly mother and the nasal, cruise ship-dancer sister who try to take over the planning of her wedding. Martin Freeman ('The Office', 'The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy') is her adorable, long-suffering fiancé who will do just about anything to give her the day of which she’s always dreamt. But the funniest, most appealing couple in the film consists of Gregory Hough (Jason Watkins) and Archie Heron (Vincent Franklin), the wedding planners who one suspects are couple-most-likely in for the long haul. Gregory and Archie are, of course, partners in love and in business and it is with them we most sympathise as they struggle to create three perfect weddings in mere weeks. The film’s soundtrack is delightful and eclectic, ranging from Alison Moyet to Cole Porter and including several original songs performed by the cast. Frequently the humour is subtle and natural, rather than scripted and forced — it would be a mistake to go to see 'Confetti' expecting a formulaic laugh-a-minute punfest — while at other moments it is the stuff of belly-laughs. Some of the plotlines aren’t carried through to any kind of logical narrative conclusion; others end about as predictably as possible. Thematically it echoes the likes of 'My Fair Lady', 'Love, Actually' and the films of Christopher Guest. Yet somehow this mixture serves to underscore the overall realism of the film — and its likeness to all the weddings I’ve ever been to. Imperfections aside 'Confetti' is a successful experiment with some very delicate elements of filmmaking. It's certainly one of the year’s most enjoyable and delightful films and destined to become a sleeper classic, if not to attain cult status. | | |
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