Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘Rachel Getting Married’?

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

tomatometer

85

Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 190
Fresh: 162 | Rotten: 28

Rachel Getting Married is an engrossing tale of family angst, highlighted by Anne Hathaway's powerful performance and director Jonathan Demme's return to form.

90

Average Rating: 7.8/10
Critic Reviews: 42
Fresh: 38 | Rotten: 4

Rachel Getting Married is an engrossing tale of family angst, highlighted by Anne Hathaway's powerful performance and director Jonathan Demme's return to form.

audience

61

liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 34,130

My Rating

Movie Info

Lingering tensions clash with new hopes in director Jonathan Demme's ensemble drama set during an idyllic wedding that threatens to descend into chaos with the appearance of the bride's estranged sister -- a volatile and unpredictable girl whose turbulent history of personal crisis and family conflict quickly threatens to take precedence over the happy ceremony. Rachel Buchman (Rosemarie DeWitt) is about to be married to the love of her life, but while the weather outside may be perfect, there's

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Drama, Romance

Jenny Lumet

Mar 10, 2009

$12.7M

Sony Pictures Classics

Cast

All Critics (191) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (167) | Rotten (28) | DVD (13)

Even Hathaway's remarkable, Oscar-worthy performance can't save it.

November 7, 2008 Full Review Source: At the Movies | Comment
At the Movies
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Rosemary Dewitt is fantastic.

November 7, 2008 Full Review Source: At the Movies | Comment
At the Movies
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Rachel Getting Married is a magical wallow in excess, a too-happy, too-sad, too-indulgent plunge into an over-planned wedding.

October 24, 2008 Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | Comment (1)
Orlando Sentinel
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's a successful experiment that leaves you with a mix of hope and despair. To the lovers, best wishes. To the lonely, our sympathies.

October 24, 2008 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comment
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

By the time you leave the theater, you feel like you were one of the guests. I, for one, was happy for the invitation.

October 24, 2008 Full Review Source: Denver Post | Comment
Denver Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

No doubt it was fun assembling so many close associates, but like Kym, Demme doesn't know when enough is enough for those who aren't part of the family circle.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Associated Press | Comment
Associated Press
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Rachel Getting Married is an extraordinary achievement.

July 6, 2010 Full Review Source: Cinema Autopsy | Comment
Cinema Autopsy

Pulsates with life

August 26, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion | Comment (1)
CinePassion

Like being forced to sit through an overly long wedding video in the living room of a couple you hardly even know.

August 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Cut Print Review | Comment
Cut Print Review

Kym crashes through her family and the weekend, careening off real and imaginary obstacles with a fierce yet still sympathetic rancor. It's the home movie you hope never to see of your life, impeccably filled with color and on-set live music and life and

May 31, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinerina | Comment

Only those who are willing to forego the many imperfections in the loosey-goosey script and Demme's improvisational style will feel the acting makes the film worth seeing.

May 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | Comments (3)
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

The messiness that goes with genuinely flawed and complex people is what makes the film ring so true and cut so deep.

March 29, 2009 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | Comment
TheMovieReport.com

Most noteworthy for Anne Hathaway's absorbing, Oscar-nominated portrayal of a disturbed soul desperate to control the demons derailing her reality.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | Comment
NewsBlaze

It's a lovely movie, with abundant charm and no fear of suffering.

March 24, 2009 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment (1)
eFilmCritic.com

...an alternatingly intriguing and maddening cinematic experience...

March 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

This isn't the kind of melodrama where a happy facade is slowly torn away-the tensions are there from the start and no one has illusions that things are nice and rosy.

March 17, 2009 Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | Comment
CinemaBlend.com

The only real surprise is that someone doesn't break into "Burning Down the House" at the rehearsal dinner.

March 17, 2009 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | Comment
Film Freak Central

When Hathaway and DeWitt are on-camera together, there's a palpable seethe of sibling rivalry that overshadows the wedding, Kym's problems, or even the horrible event that everyone has been trying to put behind them.

March 9, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

There is a nice collection of extras, which start with two full-length audio commentaries.

March 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | Comment
Apollo Guide

Jonathan Demme has struck a brilliant balance here, delivering a film that looks, sounds and feels painfully honest, while making it entertaining as well as deeply truthful.

March 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | Comment (1)
Apollo Guide
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Rachel Getting Married

It's not that this is bad movie -- it's very very well made and the acting is excellent. Also loved the music. I guess I just couldn't relate to the "family agst" and Connecticut suburbia. Recommended, but not encouraged.

February 14, 2011
jarobb3

Super Reviewer

An outstanding family drama that I hope wins Anne Hathaway an Oscar, or at the very least a nomination. One of my favorites of 2008. Loved it even more on the second viewing.

August 17, 2008
YLOWBSTARDreturns

Super Reviewer

Rachel Getting Married Quotes

No quotes approved yet for Rachel Getting Married. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Latest News for Rachel Getting Married

March 9, 2009:
RT on DVD: Rachel Getting Married, Milk Lead Super Fresh New Releases
Home video enthusiasts, prepare yourself for what may be the best week ever! This week you'll have...

January 8, 2009:
Broadcast Film Critics Name Critics' Choice Winners
The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards were given on January 8, 2009, to honor the finest...

What's Hot On RT

Weekly Ketchup
Weekly Ketchup

Adam Sandler's Candy Land

Critics Consensus
Critics Consensus

Woman in Black is Solid

The Avengers!
The Avengers!

Five new Marvelous pictures

Total Recall
Total Recall

Unconventional Superheroes

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 18,344 taken
created 12 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 43,895 taken
created 15 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 26,849 taken
created 15 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 27,334 taken
created 15 months ago

Foreign Titles

  • Rachels Hochzeit (DE)
  • Rachel se marie (FR)
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile