Kevin Coughlin
patreon
FULL WATCHALONG ~ FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL
🕑 Added 2025-09-13 23:33:57 +0000 UTCFour Weddings and a Funeral (1994) is one of the crown jewels of the British rom-com boom, full of bumbling charm, sharp writing, and that perfect blend of laughter and gut-punch emotion. Hugh Grant, floppy hair and stammering in peak form, plays Charles—a man who seems to drift through life by showing up late to weddings, cracking awkward jokes, and realizing he might actually want love. Alongside him is an ensemble of brilliantly drawn friends: Kristin Scott Thomas’s heartbroken Fiona, Simon Callow and John Hannah’s soul-crushingly sweet Gareth and Matthew, and Rowan Atkinson’s rookie priest stealing entire scenes.
The structure is tidy and clever—literally four weddings and a funeral—and it delivers both hilarity (Charles stuck with exes, misreadings, and pratfalls) and genuine heart (Matthew’s eulogy for Gareth remains devastating). For most of the runtime, it’s a rom-com masterclass: smart, funny, and overflowing with characters who feel real despite the heightened premise.
But here’s the thing—we honestly didn’t care for the ending. After all that buildup, Charles’s big declaration feels less like romantic destiny and more like bad decision-making wrapped in a bow. Carrie (Andie MacDowell) spends the whole movie making questionable choices, Charles can’t get out of his own dithering, and somehow we’re meant to cheer for them diving headfirst into happily-ever-after? Nah. Everyone in that finale is fumbling the ball, except for poor Duckface, who gets left looking like the only sane person in the room.
So yes—Four Weddings and a Funeral is witty, iconic, and undeniably charming. But that ending? It’s like watching your favorite team dominate the playoffs only to lose on a dumb fumble in the final seconds. Still worth the watch, but don’t blame us if you leave muttering, “Justice for Duckface.”
Comments
Jacob Colson
David Haig (Bernard) also played D.I. Grim on the Rowan Atkinson led series The Thin Blue Line (which is just downright hilarious.) And Richard Curtis also co-wrote and co-created Mr. Bean and Blackadder.
