Betsy's Wedding (1990)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

We thoroughly enjoyed this movie, especially the performance by "Without a Trace" Anthony LaPaglia. It really shows his range as an actor. I would have never thought he could play comedic roles, but his lines and delivery were hilarious!Great cast with Madeline Kahn of Blazing Saddles (she sure looked different).Catherine O'Hara has a great way to deal with a cheating husband Joe Pesci - again he too looks very different with a mustache and different hair. Burt Young of "Rocky" is excellent as the Italian mobster. I'm not a big Ally Sheedy or Molly Ringwall fan, but the other cast more than make up for their lack of charisma.

In a world where brides turn into bridezilla when things don't go exactly as they planned, it's refreshing to see a film about someone who can role with the punches and not take the whole thing too seriously. It's the marriage, not the wedding, that needs people's best efforts. Anthony LaPaglia did a great job, especially when he told his uncle he was going to apply to the police acadamy. It sparked my interest in his other accomplishments and I've be watching for him ever since. Loved the contrasts, even if they were a little exaggerated. Alda and Kahn played great off each other. My favorite lines. Alda: I wanted to give you a wedding you'd never forget. Ringwold (while munching on a piece of pizza) Hmm. I don't think I'll ever forget this. Great family dynamics. An imaginative romp.

Oh I remember this movie-A friend and I had been talking about comedies , reminiscing really and she reminded me about this one. I'm sort of weird with comedies-meaning I don't always like what the masses like-I seem to remember liking this(somewhat) but being all grown up now I doubt my reaction were I to view it would be as fond now.There are many movies that stay timeless and never get old. In the case of Betsy's wedding once you see it, it does leave you with a certain sweetness afterwards. The movie had some sweet things to say although they've been done before. The ending, though, was REALLY cute. This is not a movie that I would say,(as many reviewers on here do)is awful. Rather I would call it a somewhat cute comedy that gets you through a rainy night.

I have to admire Alan Alda for writing a film that contains characters we can actually relate to. Characters who seem like normal, everyday people and not farcical Hollywood creations. The problem? The film hardly goes anywhere. And I only got a few laughs. I'm not asking for "The Naked Gun." I'm not asking for a new gag every two minutes. But this film just didn't have enough humor to classify itself as a comedy. It needed an extra dose of energy, and I feel Alda should've stayed in front of the camera. Because his direction is flat, and the whole movie just seems like one big home video. Though the movie is only a little over ninety minutes, I felt some scenes belonged on the cutting room floor. The cast is superb and first-rate, and they could've shined with a funnier script. Joe Pesci is the best of a lot, in a role quite different from his usual wise-cracking, tough-guy-from-Brooklyn act. Other talents are Catherine O'Hara, Anthony LaPaglia, the late Madeline Kahn and Molly Ringwald. My Dad used to say, whenever he would watch a bad comedy, "I guess they call it a comedy, since there's no tragedy in it." That's how I can classify "Betsy's Wedding." No tragedy, but the laughs are scarce. P.S.: Look fast for Samuel L. Jackson as a taxi dispatcher. My score: 5 (out of 10)