‘Breakup at a Wedding’ Review
Stars: Philip Quinaz, Alison Fyhrie, Chris Manley, Victor Quinaz, Chris Manley, Anna Martemucci, Brian Shoaf, Mary Grill | Written by Philip Quinaz, Victor Quinaz, Anna Martemucci | Directed by Victor Quinaz
Breakup at a Wedding shows Vic (actually director Victor Quinaz) as he captures the events that happen around the wedding between Phil Havemeyer (Philip Quinaz) and Alison Jones (Alison Fyhrie). Being the type of videographer that goes super in depth, Vic captures everything, including Alison having a massive panic attack and telling Phil in supposed privacy that she wanted out; she couldn’t go through with the wedding. Together, they decide to have the wedding anyway but not sign the marriage contract, so that everyone thinks they’re married why legally they’re not. However, Phil is more than reluctant about this, and hatches a plan to end up married.
This is one of those discs I get every now and then that I look at and sigh. Another day, another crappy movie. The title immediately gave me visions of a terrible Katherine Heigl movie, but slightly better as it didn’t have Katherine Heigl in it. Imagine my surprise when not only I laughed at Breakup at a Wedding, but my grumpy 21 year old brother actually laughed too. This is a good, no, great movie.
First of all it’s actually funny. No wedding is without its craziness, and this has tonnes. The antics around Phil’s best man and old friend Bena (Chris Manley) who Phil gets blackout drunk as part of his scheme is brilliant. There’s also Alison’s older brother, Brian (Brian Shoaf) and his totally not mail order bride Lanka (Anna Martemucci) who wants pretty much nothing to do with him, bride and groom stealing another receptions alcohol, and Maid of Honour Mary (Mary Grill) desperate to get laid at the wedding.
The documentary style that Breakup at a Wedding is shot in with Vic at the helm helps the comedy keep happening. Determined not to miss out on any of his ‘masterpiece’ he literally follows the couple everywhere and his narrative is brilliant. The lack of a soundtrack leaves all the focus on the great script and Bena’s brilliant moustache, and what is perhaps the icing on the cake is the actual video compilation Vic makes tacked on at the end of the movie.
Needless to say, this is way better than a Katherine Heigl movie. I dare say this is probably better than an Adam Sandler movie, with or without Rob Schneider. This is a movie I would definitely recommend you watch, although probably not if you’re just about to get married…
**** 4/5
Breakup at a Wedding is out now on DVD from Left Films.
