Four Weddings and a Funeral

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Hugh Grant as Charles
• Andie MacDowell as Carrie
• Kristin Scott Thomas as Fiona
• Simon Callow as Gareth
• Charlotte Coleman as Scarlett
• James Fleet as Tom
• John Hannah as Matthew
• David Bower as David
• Corin Redgrave as Hamish Banks
• Rowan Atkinson as Father Gerald
• Timothy Walker as Angus
• Sara Crowe as Laura
• David Haig as Bernard Delaney
• Sophie Thompson as Lydia Hibbot
• Anna Chancellor as Henrietta
• Simon Kunz as John
• Rupert Vansittart as George

Storyline:

In Britain, slightly bumbling and always tardy Charles (Hugh Grant) and his closest group of friends seem always to be attending weddings, but are never the bride nor groom, and as such, each, with the exception of gay couple Gareth (Simon Callow) and Matthew (John Hannah), is looking for love. At the wedding of their friends, Angus (Timothy Walker) and Laura (Sara Crowe), where Charles is acting as best man, Charles meets an American woman named Carrie (Andie MacDowell). For him, it’s love at first sight. She too is attracted to him. Although they spend a memorable evening together, that’s all it ends up being. Over three more successive weddings – some of the brides and grooms who are very near and dear to Charles’ heart – and one unfortunate funeral, Charles runs into Carrie, but something always seems to prevent the two of them from getting together. He also runs into a plethora of old girlfriends, one of whom he may believe is really the one he was meant to end up with, especially if Carrie seems to remain unobtainable. Will Charles settle for who in his heart is second best, or will fate finally bring Charles and Carrie together?

About Movie:

Four Weddings and a Funeral is a British romantic comedy directed by Mike Newell and written by Richard Curtis, his first in a series of successful screenplays. The film stars Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, John Hannah, Charlotte Coleman, David Bower, Corin Redgrave, and Rowan Atkinson.

Inspired by Curtis’s own experiences attending numerous weddings—65 over 11 years—he began writing the script at age 34, basing the romance between Charles and Carrie on a personal encounter where he regretted turning down a proposition at a wedding.

Casting began in early 1992, initially with Alex Jennings as Charles. However, funding fell through, delaying the project for over a year. Around 70 actors auditioned for the role before Hugh Grant was finally cast. Funding issues persisted, with a $1.2 million budget cut just before filming began in the summer of 1993.

The production had to be completed in just 36 days, with a final budget of £2.7 million (approximately $4.4 million in 1994). Channel Four Films contributed £800,000. The tight budget led to cost-saving measures, such as using extras’ own wedding attire and having Rowan Atkinson play a vicar twice to avoid hiring another actor.

Filming locations included London and the Home Counties, such as Hampstead, Islington, Greenwich Hospital, and Betchworth in Surrey. The film’s four weddings took place in Sarratt, Hertfordshire, and St Bartholomew-the-Great in London.

Despite its modest budget, the film became a massive success, grossing $245.7 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing British film at the time. It received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, with Hugh Grant winning a Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Actor. The film also won BAFTAs for Best Film, Best Direction, and Best Supporting Actress for Kristin Scott Thomas. Its success catapulted Hugh Grant to international fame, especially in the U.S.

Four Weddings and a Funeral earned a spot on multiple prestigious film lists, including 23rd on the British Film Institute’s top 100 British films of the 20th century (1999), 21st on Empire magazine’s best British films (2016), and 74th in a Time Out poll (2017).

In 2019, Curtis, Newell, and the surviving cast reunited for One Red Nose Day and a Wedding, a short film created for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day.

Budget & Box Office Collection: