Second Hand Wedding

After a week of watching depressing, dark, melodramatic films so inclined to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival, I welcomed a viewing of Second Hand Wedding— a lighthearted wedding comedy from New Zealand— with open arms. Not usually a fan of the genre myself, this romantic comedy seemed immediately promising as it followed not a young, beautiful couple of the verge of matrimony, but instead on the mother of a young, beautiful girl on the verge of matrimony. While not exactly anything novel to sound the alarms about, it was refreshing to see the portrait of a middle-aged woman and all her quirks on screen, as so often these types of characters are muddled sideshows in comedies of this genre.

The story follows Jill Rose, a middle-aged teacher who knows everything about getting the best bargains. With her friend Muffy by her side, the pair traverse the city every weekend in search of the perfect items at garage sales. The friends are a negotiating dream team: haggling prices and finding rare pieces among the rubbish. Brian, Jill's husband, puts up with his wife's habit and even jokes about the fact that the Rose family "never gives anything away!" When their daughter Cheryl decides to marry longtime boyfriend Stu, Cheryl is unable to tell her mother for the fear that she will make a mockery of her wedding by decorating it using all of her second hand items. She does, however, tell her dad but makes him swear to keep the engagement a secret until she can find a way to plan the wedding without the help of her mother. Cheryl even goes so far as to refuse to wear her engagement ring, lest her mother find out.

When Jill discovers that her daughter has been hiding the truth about her engagement, she loses heart in the sport of bargain hunting and detaches herself from her husband. Meanwhile, Cheryl and Stew— who had previously said they would pay for their wedding themselves— sign a contract for a wedding facility they cannot pay for. Cheryl then enlists the help of her mother to not only solve the monetary problems with the wedding but also to mend their relationship. Jill and Muffy hold a garage sale of their own to raise the money for Cheryl and Stew's wedding.

While this movie hosts an all New Zealand-based cast, the lack of star-power does not hurt the film in any way. Geraldine Brophy (Jill Rose) holds her own on the screen as both an agent of the film's comedy and its drama. Brophy's performance between the two genres is fluid and convincing despite the somewhat predictable themes of the story. With seemingly little effort, Brophy bounces between a quirky bargain-hunter on the prowl for the next great find and a mother whose only child has betrayed her on purpose.

Like any good wedding comedy, Second Hand Wedding garners its success from a formula that, though familiar, never seems too apparent. While it is following in the chiseled footsteps of romantic comedies that have come before, the film carries its own level of uniqueness that helps to break the mold of the typical. In this sense, the relatively unknown cast works in the film's favor as and having the focus on the parents instead of the young couple might attract a new audience to the genre.

That said, Second Hand Wedding never shirks its responsibility of being a light-hearted family comedy. Save for a mean-spirited fellow teacher at Jill's school and a lurking second-hand dealer that competes for valuables at the garage sales, the film has only one major obstacle: the secret Cheryl hides from her mother. Once the secret is exposed, there is only one direction the film can take: reconciliation. There is nothing new or inspiring about this film, but it does have its fair share of laughs all the while maintaining a level of reality: with heart attacks, lies, and disappointment.

While seemingly formulaic, the film never enters into an entirely predictable world. The characters retain a level of normalcy and humanity that allows them to be transient on screen without feeling empty or shallow. These characters do not have any personal agendas or crusades and the film boasts no major theme or message. It doesn't tiptoe around larger issues and does not attempt to tackle more than it can handle. The film is pure and simple, and while some might find that trite and overdone, it remains unique in a cheerful and uplifting space. A viewer might not grasp a larger meaning of life from this film, but it certainly is not offensive in any way. It accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish and tries for no more. What better than a film that knows its place in the cinema firmament? It's not trying to buy the cow when all it has money for is the milk.

As a member of the target market for this type of film, I'd say it was affective. I laughed when I was supposed to laugh, I cried when I was supposed to cry. I never once looked down at my watch or wished I were somewhere else. If asked about the film, I would recommend it, but probably only to my girlfriends or my mom. It's certainly not a film anyone will remember in 20 years (10 years, for that matter) but it is a blip on the radar of solid romantic comedies.

Second Hand Wedding is the kind of film that could make a 40-something, 6', 120kg rugby fan sniffle & wipe away more than one spontaneous affliction of "eye leakage" (NOT crying). Not me you understand, just a figure of speech... In the genre of 4 Weddings, Nottinghill, Love Actually, SHW is a roller-coaster happy/sad/happy ride which had me smiling inanely all the way home - in fact I'm smiling again as I type this review! Great locations (Raumati/Paraparaumu never looked so enticing), great casting (Geraldine Brophy as the Mum is the one you want to adopt and take home !) and the total package does not disappoint in any way. All up a total and absolute emotional tank filler. It'll make you feel good about life. It'll make you smile at strangers on the way home. It'll make you want to get up early the next morning to take your wife a cup of tea in bed. It'll make you want to write a review for it even though your less eloquent than you want to be and have never written a review before. Got it? Its that good.

I am a judge for the Indianapolis-based Heartland Film Festival. This feature film is a Crystal Heart Award Winner and is eligible to be the Grand Prize Winner in October of 2008. The Heartland Film Festival is a non-profit that honors Truly Moving Pictures. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."

Jill Rose is both at the same time a middle-age wonderful mother and wife and an awkward embarrassment. The latter is due to her penchant for continuously going to garage sales and second hand shops looking for bargains and then bringing them home and never giving them up. The house is filled with these bargains that her husband tolerates and her daughter Cheryl abhors.

Cheryl becomes engaged and is so afraid that her mother will take over and arrange a used or bargain or second hand wedding that she can't bring herself to tell her the good news. Unfortunately, everyone else knows including Cheryl's father. Jill finds out from an unfriendly co-worker and the mother and daughter and husband become estranged.

In all other aspects of her life, Jill is normal and useful. She is the Assistant Superintendent of her local New Zeeland school and is respected and has lots of friends. And her obsessive collecting and bargain hunting is funny. She can laugh at herself and at her hobby and can make others laugh along with her.

This is a story of how a faithful and loving and tolerant family handles an important situation in their lives. Their core values are more important than their quirks and peculiarities.

This appears to be a low budget film, but it looks good on the screen with the beautiful New Zeeland coastline as a backdrop. And the actors, while unfamiliar to me, uniformly were believable from the main actors to the townspeople actors.

FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Truly Moving Picture Award winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.

This movie starts slowly but draws you into the life of a family with one daughter, about to get married if only she can avoid her mother's penchant for doing things on the cheap.

The actors are quietly confident in their roles, very believable as a family and group of friends. There are no token celebrities or models in this probably inexpensively made film, the characters are ordinary people going through a couple of months of excitement, disappointment, fear and happiness, with lots of laughs thrown in. Yes the storyline is predictable, but since much of life is too, that doesn't make this film anything but good.

You will shed a few tears, get lots of laughs from the garage sales and the mad characters shopping there, shudder at some of the images which may be too close to home (think gnomes), and ultimately leave the theatre smiling. Not a bad thing I feel.

Went to the premiere of this film in Wellington, while I was in NZ doing post production of a new film. Wasn't sure what to expect but was delighted that it was a completely entertaining, well crafted, thoroughly enjoyable film. Romantic comedies are a lost art these days and director Paul Murphy, in his first film to helm, has the gift. I think we'll see great things from him.

I was a bit worried I wouldn't "get" the film, being a Yank, but was happily surprised to see that even though there were a handful of moments that the audience erupted in laughter and I hadn't a clue, it didn't affect my experience at all. I think the film should definitely have an international life. It could do very nicely in the States in a limited, art house release, and then a long, healthy, successful run on cable and DVD.

If you get a chance to see this film, grab it. Charming movie that sneaks up on you and might even elicit a tear or two between laughs. Don't miss it.