My Best Friend's Wedding Information

My Best Friend's Wedding is a 1997 romantic comedy film directed by P.J. Hogan, starring Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett, and Philip Bosco.

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and is considered to be one of the two most famous of Julia Roberts' films (the other being 1990's Pretty Woman). Commercially, it was a global box-office hit and being one of the highest grossing films of 1997.

The soundtrack song "I Say a Little Prayer (For You)" was covered by singer Diana King and featured heavily in the film, making it a Billboard Top 100 hit. The soundtrack featured a number of Burt Bacharach/Hal David songs.

Plot

Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts), a New York restaurant critic, receives a call from her longtime friend Michael O'Neal (Dermot Mulroney). Julianne remembers a pact the two had made in college that if neither were married by the time they turned 28 they would marry each other. Julianne, who is 28, goes to Michael thinking that he intends to propose to her but instead he tells her that he will be marrying Kimmy Wallace (Cameron Diaz), a 20-year-old University of Chicago student from a wealthy family.

Julianne realizes that she has romantic feelings towards Michael and becomes consumed with jealousy towards Kimmy. Arguing to her friend George (Rupert Everett) that Michael is rushing foolishly into marriage with a woman who is too young for him, she heads to Chicago intending to sabotage the wedding. Shortly after arriving, she meets Kimmy who asks her to be the maid of honor. Julianne must now pretend to be the dutiful maid of honor while secretly working to sabotage the wedding. She engages in petty sabotage - for example, taking Kimmy and Michael to a karaoke bar after discovering that Kimmy is a terrible singer. Later she asks George, who is gay, to pretend to be her own fiancee. She also tries unsuccessfully to convince the couple that Michaels peripatetic life as a sports reporter will not suit Kimmy's lifestyle. When these efforts are not successful she uses the email account of Kimmy's father, who is a high level executive with the Chicago White Sox to send a forged letter to Michael's boss asking him to fire Michael so that he will be forced to take a more stable job with the White Sox. The next day, Michael, is informed about the email from his boss and breaks off the engagement, angry that his future in-laws would try and sabotage his career and lifestyle. A distraught Kimmy sends Julianne to Michael to try and fix their relationship. Realizing that she has gone too far, and that Kimmy and Michael really love each other, Julianne confesses her actions to Michael, who storms out angrily to reconcile with Kimmy. The day of the wedding, Julianne confesses her feelings to Michael, but is overheard by Kimmy who storms off. However, Julianne reminds Kimmy of the love which she and Michael share and the wedding goes forward. At the wedding Julianne makes a toast where she obliquely references her schemes as being those of a "crazy person" and watches with bittersweet feelings as the couple ride off, wondering if she will find someone to be with. She is surprised by George who whisks her onto the dance floor, and assesses their friendship with the words: "There may not be love. There may not be sex. But by god, there'll be dancing!"

Cast

• Julia Roberts as Julianne Potter
• Dermot Mulroney as Michael O'Neal
• Cameron Diaz as Kimmy Wallace
• Rupert Everett as George Downes
• Philip Bosco as Walter Wallace
• M. Emmet Walsh as Joe O'Neal
• Rachel Griffiths as Samantha Newhouse
• Carrie Preston as Mandy Newhouse
• Susan Sullivan as Isabelle Wallace
• Chris Masterson as Scotty O'Neal
• Paul Giamatti as Richard the Bellman
• Harry Shearer as Jonathan P.F. Rice

Release

Box office

The film opened at No. 2 at the North American box office making $21,678,377 USD in its opening weekend behind Batman & Robin, stayed on the top 10 weekly U.S. box-office for six consecutive weeks, and eventually earned $127,120,029. The worldwide gross total stand at $299,288,605 (listed as one of the 10 biggest films of 1997 both in domestically and worldwide).

Critical reception

The film and Roberts's performances has received praise and mostly positive reviews from critics. As of June 2012, My Best Friend's Wedding holds a 71% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus "Thanks to a charming performance from Julia Roberts and a subversive spin on the genre, My Best Friend's Wedding is a refreshingly entertaining romantic comedy."

Total Film praised the film, giving it four stars out of five and quoting " Here she banishes all memories of Mary Reilly and I Love Trouble with a lively, nay sparkling, - performance. Smiling that killer smile, shedding those winning tears, delivering great lines with effortless charm, Roberts is back where she rightly belongs - not in grey period costume, but as the sexy queen of laughs ". The Review also said that "My Best Friend's Wedding is a perfect date movie, and a film that "proves Roberts isn't as crap as we all thought she was."

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "the summer-date-film supreme for pretty women and the gay men they love," despite criticisms of the script. He praises Roberts as "riper, more dexterous with a comic line, slyer with modulation," concluding that "Roberts puts her heart into this one."

Joanna Berry of Radio Times gives it four stars out of five, observing that this "sparkling comedy" proved to be a career-resurrecting movie for Julia Roberts.

CNN movie reviewer Carol Buckland said Roberts "lights up the screen," calling the film "fluffy fun."

Awards and recognition

• MTV Movie Awards (Nominations)
  • Best Breakthrough Performance: Rupert Everett
  • Best Comedic Performance: Rupert Everett
  • Best Female Performance: Julia Roberts
• Golden Globe Award (Nominations)
  • Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
  • Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture - Rupert Everett
  • Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Julia Roberts
• BAFTA Awards (Nominations)
  • Best Supporting Actor: Rupert Everett
• Academy Awards (Nominations)
  • Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: James Newton Howard
• Satellite Awards (Win)
  • Best Supporting Actor - Musical or Comedy: Rupert Everett
• Satellite Awards (Nominations)
  • Best Film - Musical or Comedy
  • Best Actress - Musical Or Comedy: Julia Roberts
  • Best Supporting Actress - Musical or Comedy: Cameron Diaz
• American Comedy Award (Win)
  • Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Rupert Everett

American Film Institute recognition:

• AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs - Nominated

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on June 17, 1997 with Stage and Screen genre. Since the soundtrack covering a blockbuster hit film, it relies on new covers hip artist of familiar songs. The soundtrack was praised to work "better than it should, since most of the vocalists concentrate on the songs."

1. "I Say a Little Prayer (For You)" - Diana King
2. "Wishin' and Hopin'" - Ani DiFranco
3. "You Don't Know Me" - Jann Arden
4. "Tell Him" - The Exciters
5. "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself"- Nicky Holland
6. "I'll Be Okay" - Amanda Marshall
7. "The Way You Look Tonight" - Tony Bennett
8. "What the World Needs Now Is Love" - Jackie Deshannon
9. "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" - Mary Chapin Carpenter
10. "Always You" - Sophie Zelmani
11. "If You Wanna Be Happy" - Jimmy Soul
12. "I Say a Little Prayer (For You)" - The Cast of My Best Friends Wedding
13. "Suite From My Best Friends Wedding" - James Newton Howard

Chart positions

Year	Chart	Position
1997	Australian ARIA Albums Chart	1