Four Weddings and a Funeral (R, 1994)

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL chronicles the tale of the roundabout -- and seemingly fated -- courtship of Charles (Hugh Grant) and Carrie (Andie MacDowell). The story examines the need for finding love and the challenge of keeping love. Set in various weddings of friends and acquaintances, the film frames Charles's lackluster love life through the romantic (and sometimes tragic) celebrations of others. Always a groomsman and never a groom, he habitually disrupts the ceremonies through his lateness, irresponsibility, and all around bad luck. Ultimately, Charles must make tough decisions about what he thinks he should want and what he truly desires.

Four Weddings and a Funeral marks one of the early high points in Hugh Grant's romantic comedy oeuvre. As in films such as Notting Hill and Two Weeks Notice, he portrays an irresistible flake with the perfect amount of English sheepishness. The film includes stellar supporting performances from Simon Callow (A Room With a View, Shakespeare in Love, Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient) and Rowan Atkinson (Bean, Johnny English). Overall, the film sports a fantastic supporting cast. Like many Grant romantic comedies, the limelight is generously shared with a bevy of quirky supporting actors. Four Weddings and a Funeral is a fine example of English romantic comedy.