Thomas’ troubled ‘Marriage’ doomed from the start
Kristin Scott Thomas is one of the finest actresses of her generation, and as such, has earned the opportunity to try her hand at writing and directing. But she squanders it with the insufferable “My Mother’s Wedding,” a semi-autobiographical lark about three diverse sisters gathering in the English countryside for their matriarch’s third marriage.
Titled “North Star” when it debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, “My Mother’s Wedding” gains nothing from the name change. It remains a stilted bundle of sitcom-level cliches that permeated similar matrimonial disasters, such as last year’s “Mother of the Bride” and “The Fabulous Four.”
These include the standard prenuptial misunderstandings and mishaps that threaten to disrupt the exchange of vows, as well as stir unresolved grief and long-festering grudges. And like its predecessors, the promised union of humor and family drama gets ditched at the altar. Or, in this case, before the guests even arrive.
In addition to directing and co-writing the script with newbie John Micklethwait, Thomas stars as Diana Frost, the twice-widowed bearer of three daughters who’ve achieved varying levels of success in adulthood. The eldest, Katherine (Scarlett Johansson), is a captain in the Royal Navy; middle sister, Victoria (Sienna Miller), is a Hollywood actress noted more for her appearances in the tabloids than on screen; and the youngest, Georgina (Emily Beecham), is a nurse and mother with a cheating louse of a husband.
It’s clear from the get-go that the casting is way off, particularly Johansson, who struggles mightily to affect a convincing British accent. It’s also her third go-round as Thomas’ daughter, having previously assumed the role in “The Horse Whisperer” and “The Other Boleyn Girl.” You’d think that might make for more synergy, but it does nothing to bolster the chemistry between the two. The same applies to her interactions with Miller and Beecham. None of them would pass for friends, let alone siblings.
Exacerbating the issue is Thomas’ failure to rein in her cast, most notably Miller, who doesn’t know the meaning of “over the top.” Granted, she has the flashiest part, but she could have used a reminder that less is more, as her unabashed Victoria boasts freely about her weird family and sordid affairs on late-night talk shows. Or, by flagrantly flirting with her childhood friend, Charlie (Mark Stanley), and a lecherous French sugar daddy (Thibault de Montalembert) she dubs “Le Grand Fromage,” who drops in on the wedding – by helicopter – unannounced.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is Beecham. Understandably, she seems bored with her do-nothing role as Georgina, the family’s sad sack willfully blind to the fact that her loutish husband, Jeremey (Joshua McGuire), is forever chasing tail. But she can no longer deny his transgressions now that Victoria has unsolicitedly hired a bumbling detective (Samson Kayo) to verify it.
Then there’s Jack (Freida Pinto), Katherine’s life partner and full-time mother to their son, Marcus (Fflyn Edwards). She’s fed up with Katherine’s long tours of duty at sea, as well as her lover’s lack of commitment. But Thomas oddly keeps the details of their fraught same-sex relationship under wraps until well after Jack arrives. It’s indicative of a novice writer-director attempting to juggle too many balls at once. There are just too many characters and dilemmas to squeeze into a 90-minute window. And don’t get me started on the alleged humor, which is sophomoric enough to dare mine laughs from Diana’s oft-repeated new surname, Loveglove.
Lost in all of this busyness is Thomas’ goal of honoring her “dads,” who, like Diana’s first two husbands, were Navy pilots killed while stationed overseas. As Thomas’ surrogate, Katherine invites us inside her mind to share flashbacks in which the two men appear to her eyeless, as charcoal animations. It’s an interesting effect, but it’s a mystery as to what we should infer from these obscure illustrations.
And that’s the problem with “My Mother’s Wedding.” It’s too disjointed, too haphazard and unfocused, with characters who aren’t the least bit interesting. The film looks terrific, ablaze in dazzling splashes of color courtesy of the lovely English countryside and rustic set decoration. It would make an idyllic postcard, but as a wedding comedy, it’s merely a precursor to a rather dull reception.
Movie review
My Mother’s Wedding
Rated: R for brief nudity, some sexual material, language
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Emily Beecham, Freida Pinto and Kristin Scott Thomas
Director: Kristin Scott Thomas
Writers: Kristin Scott Thomas and John Micklethwait
Runtime: 95 minutes
Where: In theaters Aug. 8
Grade: C-
