George Boyle
My Best Friend's Wedding is a 1997 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett. The film follows Julianne Potter (Roberts), a 27-year-old food critic who realizes she's in love with her best friend Michael (Mulroney) when he decides to marry someone else. With only days before the wedding, Julianne sets out to win Michael back and stop the marriage. The film was a commercial success, grossing nearly $300 million worldwide and receiving positive reviews for its charming performances and subversive take on the romantic comedy genre. Two official remakes have since been released, along with a Bollywood film and a stage musical adaptation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Release date | 20 June 1997 |
| Genre | Comedy, Drama, Romance |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Runtime | 1h 45m |
| Director | P.J. Hogan |
| Screenwriter | Ronald Bass |
| Stars | Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett |
| Plot | A woman realises she is in love with her best friend, who is about to get married. She tries to break off the wedding and win him for herself. |
| Reception | Positive reviews from critics, global box-office hit. |
| Remakes | Chinese (2016), Mexican (2019) |
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What You'll Learn
The film's karaoke scene
My Best Friend's Wedding is a 1997 romantic comedy film starring Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett. The film centres on Julianne Potter (Roberts), a 27-year-old food critic who realises she is in love with her best friend Michael (Mulroney) when he gets engaged to 20-year-old Kimmy (Diaz).
One of the film's most memorable scenes involves Julianne attempting to humiliate Kimmy during a karaoke session at a bar. Julianne schemes to break up the couple, and during the karaoke scene, she manipulates Kimmy into asking her father to offer Michael a job, knowing that this will anger him. However, her plan backfires.
Director P.J. Hogan revealed that the scene was shot live, with Diaz really standing in front of a crowd and singing. Hogan said:
> "We staged the filming of the scene as a 'real karaoke song, where the lyrics appear in front of you on all the monitors.' They shot it live and 'Cameron just botched her way through the song, and the worse she got, the better the scene was'."
Diaz admitted that she was terrified to film the scene, but her co-star Mulroney helped her get through it:
> "I allowed the true terror of singing in front of people to be alive in me. I wanted to run and hide, and Dermot kept me there. He said, 'You can do it, you can do it.' In the scene I'm just staring at him the whole time because he's looking at me like, 'You're okay. You're not gonna die.' And I was like, 'But I'm dying.'"
The karaoke scene is a pivotal moment in the film, showcasing Julianne's attempts to sabotage Kimmy and Michael's relationship, while also highlighting the chemistry and connection between the characters and the actors' performances.
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Jules' schemes to break up the couple
In the 1997 film My Best Friend's Wedding, Jules, a 27-year-old food critic, realizes she is in love with her best friend, Michael, and resolves to sabotage his wedding. She arrives in Chicago and meets Michael's fiancée, Kimmy, who asks Jules to be her maid of honour.
Jules schemes to break up the couple, but her attempt to humiliate Kimmy at a karaoke bar backfires. Kimmy surprises the crowd with her impressive singing voice, leaving Jules impressed. Jules then manipulates Kimmy into asking her father to offer Michael a job, knowing that this will anger Michael. However, this plan also fails.
Frustrated, Jules enlists the help of her friend, George Downes. On his advice, Jules tells Michael that she is engaged to George, hoping to make him jealous. George, who is gay, plays along but ends up embarrassing Jules at lunch with the wedding party by singing "I Say a Little Prayer".
Despite her schemes, Jules is ultimately unable to break up the couple, and the wedding goes ahead. At the reception, Jules gives a heartfelt speech as Kimmy's maid of honour and shares a dance with Michael. She finally confesses her love to him, and they kiss passionately. Kimmy witnesses this and drives away distraught, but Jules reconciles with her at Comiskey Park.
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The film's ending
In the 1997 romantic comedy film "My Best Friend's Wedding", Julianne "Jules" Potter, a 27-year-old food critic, realizes she is in love with her best friend, Michael O'Neal, when he tells her about his upcoming wedding to Kimmy Wallace, a 20-year-old college student. With only days before the wedding, Jules sets out to sabotage it and win Michael back.
Jules travels to Chicago, where she reunites with Michael and meets Kimmy, who asks her to be the maid of honor. She schemes to break up the couple, even manipulating Kimmy into asking her father to offer Michael a job, knowing this would anger him. However, her plans backfire, and she ends up frustrated.
Jules then begs her friend, George Downes, for help, and he flies to Chicago. On his advice, she prepares to confess her love to Michael. Instead, she tells him she is engaged to George, hoping to make him jealous. At lunch with the wedding party, George, who is gay, sings "I Say a Little Prayer," embarrassing Jules as the whole restaurant joins in. George then returns home, and Jules tells Michael that her ""relationship" with George is over.
Despite her efforts, the wedding goes ahead, and Jules gives a heartfelt speech as Kimmy's maid of honor. She allows the newlyweds to use "The Way You Look Tonight" as their song until they find their own. Jules and Michael share their goodbyes, both finally moving on. Unexpectedly, George arrives at the reception, and he and Jules dance together. The movie ends on a bittersweet note, with Jules heartbroken but finding solace in George's friendship, while Michael and Kimmy are happily married and leave for their honeymoon.
The film received positive reviews and was a box-office success, with Julia Roberts's performance particularly praised. It has since inspired several remakes and adaptations, including a stage musical. The ending of the film is considered unconventional and bittersweet, with some speculating about the longevity of Kimmy and Michael's marriage due to their age difference and Kimmy's career sacrifices.
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The film's commercial success
My Best Friend's Wedding, starring Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett, was a commercial success. The film, released in 1997, was directed by P. J. Hogan and written by Ronald Bass.
The film opened at No. 2 at the North American box office, making $21,678,377 USD in its opening weekend. It remained in the top 10 weekly U.S. box office for six consecutive weeks and eventually grossed $127,120,029 in the United States. The worldwide gross total stands at $299,288,605, making it one of the 10 biggest films of 1997, both domestically and worldwide.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 74% with an average rating of 6.5/10. The critical consensus praises the film for its charming performance from Julia Roberts and a refreshing take on the romantic comedy genre. Metacritic, on the other hand, gave the film a weighted average score of 50 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
The film's success can also be attributed to its soundtrack, which featured a cover of "I Say a Little Prayer" by Diana King. The song became a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 hit, and the soundtrack also included several other Burt Bacharach/Hal David songs. The film was nominated for several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score and three Golden Globe Award nominations.
The success of My Best Friend's Wedding led to two official remakes: a Chinese version released in 2016 and a Mexican remake in 2019. It also inspired the 2002 Bollywood film Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai and a stage musical adaptation that was scheduled to open in 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The film's critical reception
My Best Friend's Wedding, the 1997 American romantic comedy film, received positive reviews from critics upon release and emerged as a global box-office hit. The film, starring Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett, was praised for its charming performances and a subversive spin on the romantic comedy genre.
The film received an approval rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.5/10, indicating a "refreshingly entertaining romantic comedy". Critics particularly highlighted the performances of Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz, with Roberts' return to the romantic comedy genre being described as "glorious" and "a homecoming". The film's witty dialogue, clever twists, and offbeat touches were also well-received.
However, some reviews described the film as "average", with a Metacritic score of 50 out of 100 based on 23 critics. Some critics felt that the film started off slowly, with the first half-hour lacking depth in character development. Despite this, the film's exploration of interesting, serious issues regarding friendship, jealousy, and love was well-noted, with some critics praising its ability to appeal to both the heart and the mind.
My Best Friend's Wedding also received several accolades, including three Golden Globe Award nominations and an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. The film's soundtrack, featuring songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, was also a commercial success, with "I Say a Little Prayer" covered by Diana King becoming a U.S. Billboard Hot 100 hit.
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Frequently asked questions
No, there is no sequel to the film. However, there have been two official remakes of the film: a Chinese version released in 2016 and a Mexican remake in 2019. In addition, a Bollywood film in 2002, 'Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai', was partially inspired by the original film.
'My Best Friend's Wedding' is about a woman who, after making a pact with her best friend to marry each other if they were still single at 28, realises she loves him when he tells her he is marrying someone else. With only days before the wedding, she tries to get him to call off the marriage.
The cast of 'My Best Friend's Wedding' includes Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, Philip Bosco, M. Emmet Walsh, and Rachel Griffiths.
