Muriel’s Wedding

A monster hit in its native Australia, this vulgar, crowd-pleasing comedy (1994) follows a gauche secretarial school graduate from a town named Porpoise Spit as she sets off for Sydney to find a wedding dress and a husband. A first feature by writer-director P.J. Hogan, it was produced by his wife, Jocelyn Moorhouse, the director of Proof, but don’t expect to find any of the conceptual purity of that film here. Oscillating back and forth between insulting its two central characters (Muriel and her dad) and showing they have hidden depths, this movie only shows true tact and understanding when it comes to flattering the audience; everyone on-screen is strictly up for grabs. With Toni Collette, Bill Hunter, Rachel Griffiths, Jeanie Drynan, and Gennie Nevinson. 105 min. (JR)

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