Movie Classics -- Muriel's Wedding

The other night I rewatched Muriel's Wedding -- perhaps in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Australia, where I will, no doubt, be forced to listen to copious amounts of ABBA and made to wear ugly animal print dresses ;)

It is one of my favorite movies of all time, starring two of my favorite actresses (in very early roles, at least very early roles that made it to the U.S.): Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths. It's a brilliant comedy that critiques the pressures, expectations, and assumptions that a woman's worth comes solely through being married. Poor, unhappy, Muriel pushes all other possibilities aside in a desperate hunt to get married (literally to get married; it's the wedding that counts, not the marriage itself). Hers is a fantasy world, but it is reinforced from all angles. Even her wild friend, Rhonda (the delightful Griffiths) says (paraphrased), "You're not nobody Muriel....Somebody wants to marry you."

Apparently, even for independent gals, you're nobody unless someone wants to marry you.

But through their friendship and life's many tragedies, the two find their true worth. It's a light comedy, for sure, but beneath the surface is a profound critique of the craziness that the world hands to women. If you haven't seen it, get it; if you have seen it, see it again!