Rachel Getting Married

"I've been a nightmare, you've been a saint." So announces Kym, the young failure of a New England family. Her dramatic statement comes during the rehearsal dinner of her perfect sister Rachel's wedding. Released from rehab just for the wedding festivities, Kym crashes back into her family's world, with awkward admissions at every inopportune moment. She jokes about her problems while creating more, and her sister is the only person who consistently refuses to treat her gently.

The root of Kym's woes sprouted before a family tragedy, but their origins are never addressed. Her absentee mother and their stark Connecticut environment are possible causes. Unexpectedly, the father and the fiancé prove to prey on the viewer's sympathy most, for their unenviable relations to imbalanced women. Tunde Adebimpe shines as the fiancé, bringing comfort to the war-torn domicile (bonus points for singing a Neil Young song at the alter). The twist of the grieving father busying himself with household work, a traditionally maternal realm, is refreshing, as is the cold austere nature of the absentee mother. Kym is a character that modern life has overdosed on: a self-absorbed pixie, who craves emotional upheaval, and the title of 'complicated'. Anne Hathaway should stick to playing Disney princesses. [Sara Nowak]