MURIEL'S WEDDING

Muriel Heslop: Toni Collette Bill Heslop: Bill Hunter Betty Heslop: Jeanie Drynan Rhonda: Rachel Griffiths Written and Directed by P. J. Hogan. Running time: 105 minutes. Rated R (for sex-related dialogue and some sexuality).

You can dance,
You can jive,
Having the time of your life.
Ooh, see that girl,
Watch that scene,
Dig in the Dancing Queen.
-from the song "Dancing Queen" by ABBA

Muriel (Toni Collette) is waiting for her moment, as she lies on her bed listening to her favorite Swedish band, ABBA. Her obsession for the disco band is quite evident, as half of her room is decorated with posters of ABBA. Her room is filled with the music of the band, as she replays the same song, "Dancing Queen," over and over. She listens to the music closely, as she tries to emulate the joy of the song. Her life amounts to nothing, as she has no career, no drive and no love. Her pursuit for a marriage is her only obsession that can match her love for ABBA. She wishes that her life can change, but she has no indication that it will. Meanwhile outside of her door, her dad is trying to keep her get out of jail.

Welcome to Porpoise Spit, a small and quaint Australian city. While it may seem like a quaint city to some, Muriel finds it utterly inhabitable and boring. Muriel is a large, big-boned woman with wild hair and no sense on how to apply makeup. Our first impressions of her are not favorable, as she seems confused and unaware. She is sweet and caring, but people cannot see it because of how strong her other attributes are. Her unimaginative high school friends are almost the same way, as they want to be runway models and lead promiscuous lifestyles. Their only goal in life is to be the "best" girl in the group, so the other members can be jealous. Their personalities and values are so opposite of Muriel's that we wonder how they ever became friends?

Before Muriel locked herself into her room, she was attending one of her friend's wedding, maybe hoping to meet her future husband. She goes unnoticed, as no one talks to her, until the very end of the wedding. She catches the bouquet, which makes her friends furious: "Throw it again - you'll never get married." The way she is dressed seems to enforce their opinion, as she wore a tight leopard-skin dress. Her friends were wrong, as another wedding guest spotted her. Unfortunately for Muriel, the guest is a floorwalker at the store where Muriel shoplifted it. Escorted back to her home by the police, her dad (Bill Hunter), a failed politician, quickly quells the arrest and decreases the violation to a warning, as the cops drop the charges and leave with a case of beer, courtesy of Muriel's dad.

Bill is not surprised by the visit, as he is surrounded by his thankless and worthless children. The children are couch potatoes, who lay about the house and stare at the television. They have no motivation to do anything else. At least Muriel had enough motivation and drive to fail secretarial school. Their lack of discipline is the result of their mother, Betty (Jeanie Drynan). She is a sweet and heavy woman, who is treated like a domestic slave by her husband and children. No one bothers listening to her, as she spends most of her time doing household chores. It doesn't help the fact that she has a short-term memory, which causes her to zone out pretty quickly. Bill spends most of his day in business meetings, where he takes Japanese investors to dinner in Chinese restaurants. The meals are free because of previous and suspicious favors. Like any politician, he cares more about his image than anyone else.

Then Muriel's life changes, when she comes into some money (a blank check given to her, by her mother). She goes to Hibiscus Island, a tropical resort and meets Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths), who is a wild, savvy and wicked woman. Rhonda becomes her friend, as she has faith in Muriel's potential, unlike Muriel's father. The two girls have a great time, as they become the hit of the party with their mimed version of "Waterloo." We can tell that the experience is the best one Muriel has had in a long time.

With Rhonda around, life suddenly has promise. The two girls forge a strong bond and decide to move out of Porpoise Spit and move to Sydney ("City of Brides"). In Sidney, she meets a boy and finally has a sexual experience. However, it was not very successful, as the boy unzips a chair instead of Muriel's pants. She finally is out of her rut and is satisfied. "When I lived in Porpoise Spit," Muriel tells Rhonda, "I sat in my room for hours and listened to ABBA songs. Since I met you and moved to Sydney, my life is as good as an ABBA song - as good as "Dancing Queen."

Her life maybe good, but Muriel is still unhappy. She seems to identify happiness with getting married. She entices her dreams by visiting every wedding shop in Sidney, hustling the owners into letting her try on dresses and taking pictures. Her desire becomes too big to pretend, as she eventually ends up in a fixed marriage with an up and coming South African swimming star, who needs a wife to get an Australian passport. The wedding is a tale of two cities, as she is overjoyed with excitement, while he looks like he is about to go in front of a firing squad. Muriel eventually learns how fleeting the marriage is and learns the true meaning of happiness.

Muriel's Wedding is a funny movie, yet it never strays from its true purpose. The movie chronicles Muriel's enlightment throughout the movie. For Muriel it becomes a sign of hope, as she realizes she can have a good time without being married. There is a world of things that she can do to make her happy. Rhonda proves it to her. Everyone's life should be as fun as an ABBA song. Grade: B

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