MYST POST #1: Muriel's Wedding

I went into this movie not knowing what to expect. I had never seen the trailer, read a review, or even heard the title Muriel's Wedding. In fact, it was not until my mom picked it from the countless selections on Netflix that I was able to see this movie is an Australian masterpiece. I am so fond of the movie, in fact, that I award it a solid 4.5 out of 5 Didomenicos. (Yes, that's the star system I have chosen to work with.)

Summary
This movie begins by introducing its protagonist: an awkward and overweight Muriel Heslop (played by the young Toni Collette) who wants nothing more than to become a bride. There is clearly a dark tone established early on in this film. Soon into the movie, it is clear that Muriel plays the victim, being the butt of all the jokes. Often times, she is shown wearing bright colors, making her stand out more than her goofy personality already does. She tends to resemble a clown with her wardrobe and makeup choices. Because of this, she is not accepted by her petite, popular friends and her family is a wreck. Her overworked, overwhelmed, unappreciated mother is struggling to care for her five lazy children. Meanwhile Muriel's father is a sleazy politician who only cares about money and his reputation. He also happens to be cheating on his wife with a much younger woman, who was once a family friend. Muriel's life seems to be hopeless, as she can't even find a job. All of these factors cause the depressed character to spend hours in her room, listening to ABBA- which becomes a major reoccurring theme throughout the movie.
It is not until Muriel runs into an acquaintance from high school, a young woman named Rhonda, that she is pushed out of her shy, awkward shell. Rhonda is the complete opposite of Muriel: she's outgoing, sexual, and very confident, exactly what Muriel needs. The two girls become fast friends and move to Sydney together as a way of starting over, and it only gets more interesting from there.

Scene Composition: Introduction to Muriel
In one of the first scenes, Muriel's home life is introduced. The camera first pans into a wide shot, which shows the setting of a suburban Australian town. This movie does a fantastic job of introducing Muriel's family. First, we hear her father's angry, booming voice, without actually seeing the character yet. Once the camera is inside the house, you immediately see a little girl spinning and crazily dancing. Right away, the father harshly yells at her to get out of the room where he is having a serious (shady) conversation on the phone. He also barks out commands, telling her to have Muriel's mother make him a cup of tea. The camera then follows the little girl into the living room where it shows the children watching tv, being lazy. Upon hearing the tea request, Muriel's older brother calls out "me too!" The scene then cuts to the kitchen where Muriel's mother sloppily makes a cup of tea in the microwave. The shot lingers on the spinning cup, trapped in the microwave. It seems to be a symbol of how the mother feels: trapped in the same dull routine. The scene ends panning out the window, showing a police car bringing Muriel home. The stage has been set: the audience now has a feel for Muriel's saddening home life.

Key Scene: Waterloo
Background: Muriel's popular friends decide to go on a "honeymoon" together after one of the girls, who was recently married, finds out her husband had an affair. De-friending Muriel right before the trip, Muriel decides to surprise them and tags along on the tropical vacation. Instead of rejoicing by the sight of Muriel, as she had hoped, they are outraged and even throw a drink in her face. Later, while sadly eating alone, Muriel is reunited with a high school acquaintance who recognized her. Upon hearing that the former high school bullies are at the same resort, Muriel's new friend, Rhonda decides to have a word with them. She tells the soon-to-be ex-wife of the cheating groom that Muriel saw her best friend, who happens to be standing right next to her, with the groom on the day of the wedding. Immediately following this is the famous "Waterloo" scene.

Muriel and Rhonda are shown on stage in costume. Both in white outfits and wigs, the two friends begin their dance rendition of ABBA's "Waterloo." Previously, one of the popular girls called Muriel out for listening to ABBA, saying it was so not cool to like 70's songs in the 90's. However, Muriel's new friend embraces her music taste. Initially, it is clear that Muriel is very uncomfortable with dancing in front of an audience. While Rhonda rocks the belly shirt and shows that she can really move, Muriel awkwardly dances with a straight face and wears a very unflattering jumpsuit next to her skinny friend. But it is clear that Rhonda doesn't care! Unlike the other girls, Rhonda is not bothered by Muriel's appearance. She is just there to have a good time. The camera pans over to the audience, which shows the four popular girls sitting front and center, the one with a black eye (for obvious reasons). As the crowd claps and cheers louder and louder, it becomes tense between the girls. As the performance goes on, Muriel and Rhonda get closer and closer to the edge of the stage, in other words closer and closer to the four mean girls. At one point the camera zooms in on the ex-bride's face. It is a high angle shot, showing that she is being looked down on. She is less powerful than she was before. Immediately following that shot, is the opposite. Muriel and Rhonda are shot from a low angle, looking down on the popular girls. From that point on, Muriel is smiling. And her dancing becomes much better, as if she has suddenly gained a tremendous amount of confidence. The two tense girls look at each other funny and a physical fight actually breaks out. After pushing a table out of the way, the girls are literally on top of each other, punching, hair-pulling, all of the typical girl fight actions. Typically when men see this, they stop everything and watch. However, it is very clear that the men are not bothered by the fight, and don't even try to break it up. Instead, their eyes are glued to Muriel and Rhonda. This is the first time Muriel has ever had positive attention from a man and is a large turning point in the movie. 

Comparisons
Toni Collette: Muriel's Wedding was one of Toni Collette's first films and even earned her an Academy Award nomination. Collette really is wonderful throughout the film. She conveys so much through her body language and facial expressions alone, that you can feel the torment and turmoil she keeps bottled up without ever having heard her speak. She does a fantastic job of wearing her emotions on her sleeve. Since this early, stellar performance, Collette has appeared in many well-known movies and television shows including The Sixth Sense, Little Miss Sunshine, and more recently, the series United States of Tara. While she initially played a dorky and awkward young woman, she is most known for her motherly roles. Even though she does play roles in comedies, she tends to gravitate towards dramas or dark comedies at the very least. In fact, she is even cast in an upcoming horror movie called Krampus. One consistency I've noticed throughout Collette's films is her amazing ability to cry on command. I mean, check this out...

Director- PJ Hogan: While Hogan may have directed Peter Pan and Dark Shadows, which stray from his typical genre choice, he is a big fan of romantic comedies. Movies he directed like Muriel's Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding, Unconditional Love, Mental, and Confessions of a Shopaholic all fall into the comedy category. I find it interesting that he directed My Best Friend's Wedding just three years after Muriel's Wedding was released. He also recast Rachel Griffith (Rhonda) in My Best Friend's Wedding. Hogan has a very unique directing style. He loves small details. Many of his movie must be watched multiple times to get the full effect. In fact, he adds so much detail that it is hard not to miss something the first time around. In Muriel's Wedding, there are many hidden facts that could easily go unnoticed if one isn't tentative. For example, it would have been easy to miss the fact that Muriel's father pulled some string in immigration and got a Chinese restaurant owner's uncle out of China. As a thanks, he and his family or clients are given free food, which explain the multiple scenes shown in that restaurant. Hogan also decided to make most of the music in the movie ABBA music. This went along nicely with the character's love for the old band, but also kept an upbeat tone to this dark comedy. It is even played at Muriel's wedding to show how quirky Muriel's personality is and added humor when the bridesmaids tried walking down the aisle in sync.