I feel too sorry for the mother. I just have to turn it off because she's treated so excruciating-ly badly and it makes me cringe :p
We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. They do not exist.
I agree. I think the character of Muriel is despicable, further illustrated when her mother is standing alone at her wedding completely ignored. Muriel really is no better than the popular bitches who are supposed to be the villains.
shareI agree. Her only redemption comes after her mom dies. I shouldn't say redemption, really. But it's the beginning of her coming into awareness of herself at least.
shareher mother is standing alone at her wedding completely ignoredThe wedding day is supposed to be all about the bride, haven't you seen "Bridezillas". share
Hmmm... I sort of excuse Muriel because I think she's mentally slow, combined with an awful home life.
A Fact Of Life...
After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says W T F....
I sympathized with Muriel in the beginning but the way she treated the few people who cared for her was despicable. She has a 2nd chance with Rhonda and even the guy who initially liked her, but what about the mother? She lived a long life filled with misery. She deserved better.
shareEach and every character in the film is a loser in some way. And David married Mariel because he wants to win. So does Mariel.
That's what is amazing about this film. You have a whole bunch of losers who all think of each other as losers and you get the chick-flick friendship that pulls up out of the muck to give us all HOPE.
After the funeral, when Mariel is crying to David, she says "I'm just like him! (her dad)" Self-awareness is the first step in self-discovery. What's that quote?
"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates, in Plato, Dialogues, Apology
Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)
"Have a Romy & Michelle day!"
Excellent take on this great film, Hinda.
shareNed: why did you change your name from 'keylimepie' to 'Kalamata'? Why not just 'Ned'?
shareJack, I like nicknames, screen names whatever you call them. Also, I try to maintain some level of anonymity although that is obviously impossible on the net. There is this phone call on YouTube wherein this guy leaves this message on some woman's machine. The message is almost beyond belief, the guy is such an amazing douchebag. Anyway, someone ferreted out who the guy is, Dmitri the Lover he calls himself. He has this thing going on, Toronto Real Men dot com. He is doing the same schtick that Tom Cruise did in Magnolia, remember that? Anyway, the guy is this Dmitri character, but then someone discovered his real name is James Sears who is a guy who owns a mortgage company up there and is a medical doctor whose license was yanked because he was molesting his patients. No escape.
BTW, why do you ask? Most people here have nicknames they use. They probably have more than one name, too, why single me out?
Oh I know! I love this movie, but I sometimes cannot watch the parts with the mother...it makes me tear up a little sometimes...not gonna even lie. I just want to yell at my TV and say "Stop being such a b*tch Muriel!"
But I still love the movie.
"An entire generation of Cinderellas and there's no glass slipper coming..." - Almost Famous
You all are right about the treatment of the mother, but the one that I really feel sorry for is Muriel's sister.
If this was real life, and yes I know it isn't...
You know she's going to take over her mother's role in the household (cleaning up after her brother's, feeding her family and her father, fetching and carrying, etc). And I know this is all she can look forward to for the rest of her life.
Will her father appreciate what she's doing for the family? No!!! No more that he appreciated what his wife was doing until she cracked.
Will her new step-mom treat her any better? No!!! I imagine her status has gone from forgotten sister to unpaid, unappreciated servant within a matter of days after the honeymoon.
Will she ever get the chance to have an adventure and get married like Muriel? Probably not. Unfortunately, she's not really a looker and it's hard to image anyone battling her dad in order to take her away.
- Monica
The scene in the grocery store where she finds a comfy pair of slippers and puts them on and forgets to pay for them... is heartbreaking somehow.
A little pair of slippers made her happy for a while.
It's been years since I've seen this film (I'm watching it now) and I forgot how sad it is. I love it, but it's actually quite depressing in parts.
My nightly bloodlust has overflowed into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy.
Which, of course, shows just how brilliantly written and performed it is. You can only get that sort of extreme emotional reaction to the treatment of a character when you totally suspend disbelief. Just look at her face whenever they have another "coincidental" meeting with Dierdre Chambers. She knows what's going on, but can't admit it even to herself and after the fleeting look of distaste she swallows it and puts her feelings away for the sake of the kids. No words are necessary, it's all written in her face. Wonderful job by all concerned, especially Jeanie Drynan. And you're right, it's gutwrenching to behold but you really have to admire the craft behind the pain.
sharei know - i cried soooo much when the mom dies! what a way to ruin such a happy movie!!!
and how cud nobody love a mom as sweet as her??? so sad!
All the scenes with the mother made me sad too, but I have to say I didn't think of Muriel as being a 'bad' character I think she was just desperate for love and approval like the rest of the kids. I don't think she intended to treat anyone in a cruel way.
To me the real villain in the film was the father because it seemed he was the root of the emotional *beep* up's that plagued the whole family. I just wanted to smack him.
Humanity Is Overrated - Greg House
www.marapets.com/refer.php?id=honkytonkangel. Sign up
I feel exactly the same way.. it's so sad to see how her mother was treated.
shareThe part that gets me is when you see her all dressed up and excited getting to the church... and then Muriel doesn't notice her and her spirit is just CRUSHED. That made me so sad, I wanted to cry.
shareI agree with you, Elizabeth. I fell so sorry for Betty when Muriel didn't notice her at the church. It must have made her feel so low.
Love each other despite our imperfections.
- Amber Benson
The part that gets me is when you see her all dressed up and excited getting to the church... and then Muriel doesn't notice her and her spirit is just CRUSHED. That made me so sad, I wanted to cry.
Are we really meant to sympathise with Betty? A recurring point in Muriel's Wedding is how Bill has made his family spoilt and unmotivated by his corrupt methods. Betty, along with her children, accept the immoral yet comfortable living provided by Bill's influence. So when Bill leaves, Betty realises this lifestyle has come to an end, thus becomes enraged. Betty is not so much an innocent victim as some make her out to be.
I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.
Betty is not so much an innocent victim as some make her out to be.
...thus becomes enraged
A recurring point in Muriel's Wedding is how Bill has made his family spoilt and unmotivated by his corrupt methods.
Betty, along with her children, accept the immoral yet comfortable living provided by Bill's influence.