MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING - Julia Roberts in decent film shocker!
I'll be honest right from the start. I don't like Julia Roberts. I never have liked her, ever since I saw PRETTY WOMAN, and her awful performance in CONSPIRACY THEORY consolidated that opinion. I did, however, enjoy her performance in ERIN BROKOVICH, but I have a feeling that was an exception.
What is it about Julia Roberts I don't like? It's hard to pin down. There's a certain smugness, or self-satisfaction, that she seems to exude. She just seems a bit too full of herself; not a diva like Jennifer Lopez, but something similar. I end up getting annoyed and throwing a cushion at the TV whenever she pops up. The fact that she keeps winning "best/favorite" actress polls doesn't help; it just makes it worse.
So it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING, a 1997 rom-com starring the one and only. Right from the start, Julia Roberts is in her full-blown over-the-top annoying mode. Her character in MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING is arrogant, self-loving, overblown, and we're supposed to identify with her.
It was hard to resist reaching for the 'off' button, but something kept me hooked. Perhaps it was Cameron Diaz, another actress I don't like, who was cast against type in the role of a frumpy, sweet and genuine bride. Or maybe it was just Rupert Everett, with his camp English gentleman persona, in the 'comic relief' supporting role.
Anyway, I finished MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING and I actually enjoyed it. This is because the screenwriter pulled the rug out from under my feet, so to say. I thought Julia Roberts would end up going off with the bridegroom, thus making the film morally wrong and even against the principles of common goodness.
I was mistaken. Even Julia realizes her character is scum (more specifically, the "fungus that feeds on pond scum") and that realization and self-loathing is what makes this film original and entertaining. It's like a massive wake-up call.
If you're looking for a rom-com which attempts to reflect real life, where the endings aren't always happy, then give MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING a go.
But watch out for Dermot Mulroney; he's handsome, but his acting sucks.
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the ending was tweaked
If not mistaken, I remember reading somewhere once that the original ending was for Julia to make away with the bridegroom. But the ending was tweaked at the 11th hour, and now everyone looks good at the end! Incidently, I like Julia Roberts, just a personal opinion.
The ending was tweaked? Thank God!
It does make sense though, because it really did look like Julia and Dermot were going to get together in the end, then all of a sudden - wham!