After the Wedding Movie Review
After the Wedding is a remake. I’m really starting to wonder if Julianne Moore is just picking her favorite movies and saying let’s remake this and I’ll fund it. Gloria Bell? After the Wedding? Should this era be called Julianne Moore: The Remake Years? It’s a working title.
I’ll say this one time, I do not believe After the Wedding needed to be remade. It was originally written and directed by Susanne Bier. You will recognize her as the mastermind behind Netflix’s Bird Box. I confess I haven’t seen the original so maybe it is a visionary work that I need to add to my “must see list.” Bart Freundlich, the director of the latest edition of After the Wedding must have thought so. Did I mention that Freundlich happens to be married to Julianne Moore? Just thought I’d point that out.
Okay, so back to the actual movie. It stars Michelle Williams as Isabel, a “do-gooder” who runs an orphanage in India. She’s a little strange and doesn’t seem to fit in well with society. She is summoned to the U.S. by Theresa (Julianne Moore), a wealthy entrepreneur who is going to donate a large sum of money to Isabel’s orphanage. As negotiations are bogged down Theresa invites Isabel to her daughter Grace’s (Abby Quinn) wedding. Once we get to the wedding, things get mysterious. Theresa’s husband Oscar (Billy Crudup) notices Isabel, as ominous music plays in the background. That’s as far as I’m willing to go in the plot in case anyone wants to see this. I’m team no spoilers.
The reason I wanted to see this is the same reason I wanted to see Gloria Bell. Julianne Moore. Even if the movie wasn’t exactly my favorite, Moore almost always delivers a powerful performance and she continues that trend here. Michelle Williams does an admirable job playing the aloof and somewhat unusual Isabel. I think Williams is severely underrated in Hollywood, and this was a good performance in a mediocre movie.
Overall, the adjective I would use to describe After the Wedding is fine. It is just fine. There is nothing novel to write home about here but you get to see some very fine acting and the mystery is sufficient enough to keep you engaged for the almost two hour run time. However, I’m very ready to see Julianne Moore leave the Remake Years behind and delve into something that hasn’t been done before.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You liked the original version of After the Wedding
2. You like mysterious family melodramas
3. You want to be part of Julianne Moore’s crusade to be in remakes
